Harry Potter and the Master's Mirror
by T.H.W
Summary: In fifth year, Harry Potter and his friends return to school early after a murder is committed against one of their number. What do all-seeing eyes, a teacher, a vengeful ghost and a mysterious phrase the 'Master's Mirror' have in common? Not Ootp
1. The Telephone Call

****

CHAPTER 1. 

THE TELEPHONE CALL

Harry Potter awoke like he did every morning: tired, but happy. He stretched his thin arms and ran his fingers through his jet black hair, yawning widely. Life at the Dursleys had been better than it had been in the past, all due to several instances over the last five years. First, there was the pig's tail that Hagrid gave to Harry's cousin Dudley. Then there had been the time when Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had locked him in his room and pretended that he hadn't even existed, that he had gone to a sort of insane asylum during the school year and only came back during the summer. Then the Dursleys had then gotten the shock of their lives when the Weasley twins, Fred and George, and Harry's friend Ron had come to rescue him in their father's flying car. Pandemonium had ensued, but at least Harry didn't have to stay with his relations during the rest of summer holidays.

Then the next summer, Harry made a huge mistake, getting so angry and aggravated with annoying Aunt Marge that he had blown her up and left in a huff, taking the Knight Bus away from his home, or rather his _Aunt _and_ Uncle's _home. 

__

Don't get mixed up about that, Harry. This isn't your home at all. My REAL home should be somewhere with Sirius. 

He had met Sirius Black that year, his godfather and newfound friend, though it had been a rough journey finding out all that information. Sirius had helped Harry through a good many scrapes, though he was still hiding from the Dementors of the prison, Azkaban. Then there had been last year's incident, and a most fond one for Harry. The Weasleys had invited Harry to stay with them for the rest of summer break so that he could go to the Quidditch World Cup with them, and then he and Ron and the rest of the younger Weasleys could proceed to Hogwarts from there. Dudley had been on a diet then, and couldn't resist when the Weasley twins, Fred and George, dropped a Ton-Tongue Toffee on the floor, directly in his line of vision. Not able to resist candy, Dudley ate it, and instantly, his tongue began to grow. Granted, Mr. Weasley had fixed it and everyone had been in a right proper stew about it, but Harry and the Weasleys still chuckled about it when no one was listening.

Harry sighed as he slipped on his glasses, his green eyes blinking in the bright sunlight of morning. Things were better now. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had nothing to do with Harry. Simply let him do as he pleased. The same went for Dudley, who stayed as far away from Harry as possible, afraid possibly that he might slip him another Ton-Tongue Toffee or some such magical concoction. One perhaps that would make his head larger so that it would explode, or transform his bottom into a huge balloon so that he'd float away or some such nonsense. The point was, he steered clear of Harry, and Harry didn't complain. Now that Harry was left to his own devices, he studied his magic books so that he wouldn't forget everything he'd learned so that everything would be fresh in his memory when he returned to Hogwarts in a mere few days.

He wondered how he'd get to Hogwarts THIS time. Every time had been different. The first year had been normal enough. Uncle Vernon had simply driven him to the station and he'd met the Weasleys and had gotten to his train. The second time had been the catastrophe with Ron and the flying car, which had nearly gotten them killed when they ran into the Whomping Willow. The third, when he had ridden the Knight Bus and the fourth, when he had traveled with the Weasleys and had gotten to see what it was like living in a real Wizard family. 

__

Perhaps things will all go normal this time. Harry thought as he gingerly stroked 

Hedwig's white feathers through the bars of her cage. But seriously he doubted it. Nothing normal had ever happened to him, Harry Potter, not since his eleventh birthday anyway.

Back then he had found out that he was a wizard, that his parents were wizards and had died at the hands of the evil Lord Voldemort, who too had tried to kill Harry, but had been unable to because of his mother's love for him. That was how he had gotten the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead and when he had earned his name and his reputation for being, "The Boy Who Lived." Everyone he met treated him like some kind of god. 

__

Well at least Ron and Hermione don't. Thats good. 

But then again, others didn't treat him like a god either. SEVERAL others. Practically all the Slytherins in Hogwarts HATED Harry. That categorization included Draco Malfoy, his minions Crabbe and Goyle, and of course the Potions Master, Severus Snape, if only to name a few. But Harry didn't care. Not when he had friends and supporters like the headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Sirius, and of course Ron and Hermione. He wasn't sure what he'd do without them if he ever lost them. 

A loud banging sounded on the floor beneath him, startling him. "IF YOU WANT ANY FOOD YOU BEST COME DOWN AND FIX IT YOURSELF! BECAUSE I'M NOT SERVING NO WIZARDS WHO CAN PROBABLY.........MAGIC UP THEIR OWN FOOD! SO NOW THEN!!" Aunt Petunia added that little bit in just for defiance, just to make sure Harry didn't think she was losing her grip on her household. 

After all, it was HER household, and her sniveling sister's brat wasn't about to shake her, even if he WAS magic. To tell you the truth, Petunia Dursley really was quite affected by her young nephew, especially now as he grew older. He looked more and more like James Potter every day, especially now that he had some height to him, but whenever he walked down the stairs and eyed her sullenly, Lily's eyes pierced right through her, like she was still living. For a moment, Lily Potter stood in front of her sister, shaking her head sadly, but the moment Petunia blinked, Harry stood in her place, walking about the house liked he owned it. It wouldn't do. Not at all. Petunia _lived_ for the day when Harry walked out of her house and she had peace and quiet all school year until summer.

Harry shuffled about, slipping notebooks and quills in his bags to be prepared for the day when he'd leave once more for Hogwarts and a different world. He walked down the stairs quietly, and began to make himself a sandwich. It was slim pickings finding something to eat. Dudley had long since abandoned the diet he had kept so fervently the year before, complaining that it was pointless and stupid that he should have to listen to that stupid git of a nurse who said he was too fat. What did she know of fat? "She should take a look at her bloody rear sometime I tell you!" Dudley had screamed when his father tried to convince him that it was for the best. Petunia had intervened as always and Dudley got his own way, hence becoming as fat as he had ever been, maybe even more so. But all the same, Harry managed to rustle up a liverwurst, mayonnaise, and lettuce sandwich out of the scanty remains in the refrigerator.

As he began to walk upstairs, he suddenly halted in his tracks as the telephone rang. He paused on the step, waiting for Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to come and answer the phone. But no. There was no answer. In fact the house was rather silent. Then he remembered. It was twelve-thirty. Dudley and his parents were going to see a picture show at one and they always liked to get there early so that they could get the time to buy the usual three large cartons of buttered popcorn and two large colas for Dudley. As one can imagine, this took some time, along with the added yelling that Uncle Vernon contributed to the gawking clerk behind the counter.

A rush of excitement flooded through Harry. He had never answered a telephone. Well, he had, but only once and it had been Aunt Marge and the instant he had heard it was her, he hung up. That had earned him extra time of being locked in his closet as well as the punishment of never ever answering the phone. The phone continued to ring as Harry debated whether or not to answer it. Boldness added itself to the excitement and he slammed his sandwich on the counter and grabbed the phone from its cradle saying, "Hullo, Dursleys. Harry spea-," A moment later he had dropped the phone and was covering his ears as a piercing shriek rang through the mouthpiece.

"HUUUUULLLLOOOO!? IS HARRY THEEEERRRRREEEE? THIS IS ROOOOONNNNN WEEEEAAASLLLEEEYY!! HIS FRIIIIIEEEENNNNDDD FROM SCHHHHOOOOOLLLL! CAN ANYONE HEEEEEEAAAAARRRR MEEEE? HULLO? Bloody phelly-tone." 

The last part was muttered by the person that Harry knew to be the one and only Ron Weasley. Harry gingerly picked up the phone and held it at arms length, waiting for Ron to start screaming again. He didn't have long to wait. 

"HUUUUULLLLOOOOO!!! LOOK!! I JUST WANT TO TAAAAALLLKKK TOOO HARRRY POOOTTTEEERRR!! MEEE AND HIS OTHER FRIEND, HEEEEERRRRRRMMMMMIIIIIOOOOONNNNNEEEEE GRANGER ARE GOING TO, uh, ah, GO SHOPPING!! DO YOU COPY? HULLO? HULLO? LOOK, CAN YOU JUST BLOODY GO GET HARRY? I SWEAR I'LL CAST A SPELL ON YOU I WILL! GIVE YOUR FATTY GIT OF A KID MORE TONGUE GROWING TOFFEES I WILL! JUST WATCH ME!"

Harry couldn't help but chuckle as Ron became more irritated. Finally he took a deep breath and screamed into the mouthpiece, 

"ROOOOOONNNNN!!!!" Harry chuckled as he heard Ron drop the phone with a yelp. There was silence a moment more before Harry heard breathing on the other end of the line. 

"WWWWWHHHHAAATTT?? HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?" He screamed. 

Harry grasped his ears in pain and was just about to scream an answer when he heard voices in the background. 

"I say Ronniekins, what are you bellowing about?" An cheerful voice sounded in the background of Ron. 

"Oh do shut up. I'm trying to get these Muggles to let me talk to Harry." Ron said in a normal tone of voice, partially covering up the receiver. 

"Well you're jolly well not gonna let you talk to him THAT way." The voice said again. 

"Yeah Ron. You'll just give 'em an earache." A second voice said. It was Fred and George, Ron's twin brothers.

"Well how do you suggest I talk on the phelly-tone genius?" Ron asked, annoyance in his voice. 

"Telephone stupid. And it's easy. Just talk in it like you talk to me. Watch." There was a slight rustling in the receiver as the phone on the other end changed hands and a deeper voice spoke quietly into the phone. 

"Hullo? Can we please speak to Harry Potter? It's urgent." The voice said. Harry grinned and pulled the phone close to his ear. 

"Is this Fred or George?" There was an exclamation on the other end of the line and the voice began to speak again. 

"By golly, Freds! It's Harry! Ron, you had Harry the whole time! Hey Harry! How are you doing you wicked wizard you?" The voice, now identified as George, exclaimed good-naturedly. 

"Fine! How 'bout yourself?" Harry answered, a grin on his face. 

"Oh fairly well! Gettin' ready for Hog-, OUCH! Ron, quit pinchin'! I'm talkin' to Harry! Sorry. Ron's about to bloody well pinch my arm off. The prat. HEY! No hitting! Its not brotherly! Anyway, just getting ready for Hogwarts. GOSH RON! What are you part veela? Here, take it! Take the phone! I jolly well don't want it! TAKE IT!" 

Harry smiled and shook his head as he heard the rustling of the phone being passed to Ron and a door slammed. Another moment later, Harry heard delicate breathing on the other end of the line. 

"Stupid prats." Ron muttered. 

"Hey Ron! How are you?" Harry asked, thrilled to hear his friend's voice on the line. 

"Alright. Fred and George are 'bout to drive me bonkers though. I swear I've had so many Canary Cremes this summer that I feel part bird." Ron said gloomily. 

"How do they manage to give you the slip so many times?" Harry asked. 

"Oh easy. Wait till Mum makes cheesecakes and stuff and slips them in the center and just hope to Heaven that _I_ get the one with the Canary Creme in it. Stuff like that. Only a few times they managed to turn Dad into a canary. That was a jolly sight I tell you! Seeing Dad, sitting in his seat, as flesh and blood as you please, then a little yellow canary chirping like crazy on the table! It was pretty funny actually." Ron said with a chuckle. "But they are about to drive me bonkers. Hey, you ready for school?" Ron asked.

"No. I haven't gone to Diagon Alley if thats what you mean. Haven't gotten the chance to. Got my list a few days ago." Harry said glumly. 

"Yeah well that's what I called about. Me and Hermione are going tomorrow and wanted to know if you wanted to come with us. That way you wouldn't have to go alone." Ron said. 

"Yeah, loads of fun it was LAST time." Harry said sarcastically. 

"Well hopefully there won't be a Gilderoy Lockheart there! He wasn't on the list of books this year anyway, thanks be to all thats holy." Ron said devoutly. 

"Well, what time would you want me to come?" Harry asked, mirth in his tone. 

"Oh, we could pick you up. Mum and Dad are gonna let Fred and George DRIVE." The way Ron said, it you could have sworn it was a mix of either envy or pure sarcasm. 

"You're joking." Harry asked. 

"Nope. It was hard convincing Mum, but Fred and George and Dad managed to get past her. I just jolly well hope they don't decide to let off a firecracker or something while they're driving and get us all killed." Ron said glumly. Harry laughed and shook his head. 

"I hope not. What time would you pick me up?" Harry asked. 

"Oh, sometime in the morning. That way we wouldn't be there too late." Ron said casually. 

"Oh okay. Well is that all then?" Harry asked. 

"Yeah I suppose. Can't wait to see you Harry! I just hope that, you know, things don't happen like last year." Ron said, his voice petering off at the end of his sentence. 

Harry was silent. He knew what he meant. Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff, had been killed because of Harry. Well Harry felt it was his fault. After all, it had been HE who had suggested that they take the trophy together. So it was his fault that Cedric had stepped into that world with him, that world of death and evil which had ultimately taken the boy's life.

"Me too Ron. So I'll see you tomorrow." Harry said, trying to brush his feelings away. 

"Yeah sure. See you! AAAAHHHH!! FRED, YOU GORY PRAT!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Harry laughed aloud as Ron yelled again into the receiver, Fred and George's merry laughter echoing behind him. 

"That'll teach you for pinchin' me!" George yelled gleefully. There was a yell of anger from Ron before he slammed the phone into the cradle and disconnected the line. Harry hung up his phone, still chuckling, not even wanting to know what Fred had done to the unfortunate Ron.

Harry's laughter subsided as his fingers slipped off the phone and he slowly grabbed his sandwich, chewing it thoughtfully as he walked up the stairs to his room. He thought of the past year's events, of the changes, of the horrors it had brought. He had brought Voldemort back to life with his own blood. He knew that he had not only endangered himself, but also the lives of the other people he knew. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, everyone. They all could be affected if he could not hold their lives in the balance.

************************************************************************

__

Author's Note: Guess what all? I OWN HARRY POTTER!! YES! YES INDEED! I'm J.K. Rowling and I feel that my books aren't getting wide enough renown, therefore, I've decided to post them on this fanfiction site...................................I hope ALL of you can guess the utter sarcasm with which I type this. :-) Anyway, I don't own ANYBODY except a few people I'm going to add to the realm of Harry Potter. So don't worry. I'll get all the characters back safely. I'm just borrowing them. I didn't want to post this at the beginning because it would look cluttered. I don't like it when things look **cluttered**. I'm rather a neat freak. Or better yet, a perfectionist. :-) Anyway, hope you like the story so far! ON TO CHAPTER TWO!! PLEASE!! And input is GREATLY appreciated.


	2. Convertibles, Books, and Brothers

****

CHAPTER 2. 

CONVERTIBLES, BOOKS, AND BROTHERS

The car horn disturbed the family's morning breakfast. Harry ceased spreading butter on his toast, Aunt Petunia forgot that she was pouring Dudley orange juice, Uncle Vernon looked up suspiciously from the paper, Dudley stuffed his face. A period of silence reigned for about ten seconds before the horn sounded again. Harry cast a wild glance towards his aunt and uncle and gulped. Slowly, they both turned to glare at him, as if he himself was planting his hand on the car horn. 

"I, I'm going to go get things for school today. My friend Ron's picking me up." Harry said through a dry throat. 

Aunt Petunia pulled the orange juice pitcher up with a gasp as she saw the juice running all over the table from Dudley's overflowing cup. 

"Dudley, why didn't you tell Mummy that she was spilling the juice?" She cooed as she sponged up the juice with a damp cloth. 

Dudley looked up at her incredulously, his mouth full of jelly donut. 

"I WATH EATING!" He said through his mouthful. 

Harry curled his lip in disgust, but Aunt Petunia smiled proudly, called him 'her boy' as she kissed him on the head. 

"Your _friend_, eh?" Uncle Vernon muttered. Harry nodded silently, crossing his fingers. "This wouldn't happen to be the same _friend_ who destroyed our house last year, would it?"

"The Weasleys didn't _destroy_ the house!" Harry insisted loudly. However, upon the remembrance of the destroyed fireplace and the living room covered in plaster, his tone became considerably quieter. "Not all of it anyhow."

Uncle Vernon's cheeks swelled till they were the size of pudgy turnips and his tiny eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at Harry. Harry however, could see the look of fear residing behind his uncle's piercing gaze. 

"Well, are you just going to sit there?" Uncle Vernon demanded crossly. "I don't want those people setting foot inside this house, so get going before they get any funny ideas!" He roared. 

Harry shook his head in disgust and grabbed his bag, rushing out the door with his toast in hand.

When Harry stepped outside his house, an interesting scene was spread before him. A rather old red convertible was pulled up crookedly in the driveway. One of the Weasley twins, Fred or George, Harry couldn't tell which, sat in the front seat, gleefully honking the horn over the span of two second intervals. His twin, sat beside him, plugging his ears, but urging his brother on, telling him to, 'make it louder!' and occasionally slapping the horn himself, making double the noise. In the back seat sat Harry's best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. 

Ron's plugged ears were now scarlet as he stared murderously at his brothers from the back seat. Hermione was simply plugging her ears tightly with her fingers, her brown eyes cast towards the sky as she muttered something under her breath. Harry grinned and rushed down the Dursley's front walk towards the car, exhilaration filling him to the core as he realized how close he was to going _home_, to Hogwarts. 

For a moment, Ron forgot about the horrendous noise his brothers were making and pulled his fingers from his ears, a wide grin spreading across his freckled face. 

"HARRY!" He yelled excitedly. 

Then another ear-piercing blast rang out and Ron winced, plugging his ears with his fingers once more. Harry smiled and opened the car door, slipping in beside Hermione. 

"Hullo, Fred and George!" Harry yelled over the din. 

The twins ceased honking the horn and turned around to face him with identical grins. 

"How are you, Potter? Feeling up to another year of Hogwarts?" One of the twins asked. 

"Or better yet, feeling up to driving with me and George?" Fred said, indicating his twin in the driver's seat. 

"Feeling up to DYING more like." Ron muttered finally taking his fingers out of his ears. 

Fred grinned evilly and planted his hand on the horn so that it shrieked louder than before. Ron didn't plug his ears, but simply glared at his brother. Fred took his hand off the wheel with a frown and eyed George with a puzzled look. George met his look with an identical one, but grinned and turned around to the front seat. As they jostled about looking for something, Hermione turned her warm brown eyes to Harry. 

"How have you been, Harry? Been keeping up with your homework?" She asked seriously. Beside her, Ron scoffed. 

"You know, Hermione, most friends just say, 'Did you have a nice summer?'" He said, rolling his eyes. 

Hermione didn't respond, but simply turned to Harry and asked sweetly, 

"Did you have a nice summer and did you keep up with your homework?" 

Ron groaned loudly.

Suddenly, George and Fred both held up their wands with a flourish and waved them at the horn as they yelled, "_AUDIETUS_!!!", and slammed their hands on the horn. 

What occurred then sounded like a thousand car horns blowing all around them. Harry couldn't even hear, the sound was so loud and painful. He plugged his ears and watched Ron and Hermione do the same. Harry squinted painfully and turned to Ron. He was obviously yelling, but with all the racket Harry couldn't hear a thing. Apparently, neither could Fred or George. They simply sat there in the front seat grinning at each other, their hands planted firmly on the horn. When they finally let go, Harry, Ron and Hermione let their fingers fall out of their ears in relief. 

"YOU BLOODY PRATS! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Ron bellowed. 

George frowned and turned to face Ron, a confused look resting on his face. Then he lit up and pulled what appeared to be a blue piece of clay from his ear. Fred did the same. 

"Did you say something little brother?" George asked sweetly. 

"Sorry we couldn't hear you, Ronniekins. It's our newest invention: Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' Blab Blockers: block out all the blab you want _today_!" Fred said, throwing his arms out in the air with a flourish. 

Ron said nothing, but instead fumed, glaring daggers at his brothers. George grinned and he and Fred chuckled as he backed the car out of the driveway. The trip was definitely one of the more interesting ones Harry had taken to Diagon Alley. On the way, the George almost hit a car pulling out of a driveway and inevitably was honked at. George almost cast the spell on the car horn again, and would have, had Hermione not frantically grabbed at Fred's shoulder. Before she could scold him, Fred grinned broadly and smacked George. 

"Ron's _girlfriend _doesn't want you to push it." He said evilly. 

Hermione grew red in the face and abruptly sat back in her seat. 

Ron flushed red and sat up poker straight in his seat.

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND! SHE'S JUST MY FRIEND!" Ron yelled angrily. 

Fred turned back to face his younger brother, an innocent expression lingering on his face. 

"She's a girl and she's your friend, right, Ronniekins?" He asked. Dumbfounded, Ron nodded. "So she's your girlfriend." Fred said simply. 

Ron would have begun to yell again, but stopped short when Hermione gently placed her hand on his clenched fist and shook her head wearily. Ron got terribly red in the face, but his fist unclenched and he slumped back into his seat. A faint blush made its way across Hermione's face as she released her hold on the boy's loosening fist.

Eager to take the attention off of his friends, Harry changed the subject.

"So, when did you get this car? It's different." He yelled over the wind that blew into their faces. 

"Oh, Dad got it." Fred bellowed. 

"Yeah, the Ministry said he deserved something for all his hard work, so he got this!" George said commented. 

"Of all things he could have gotten, he got a Muggle car." Ron moaned. 

"It's a nice Muggle car!" George protested. 

"And plus, he did get Mum that new sewing-machine didn't he? The Aninreb 2001!" Fred pointed out. 

"And a part-time house-elf!" George yelled. 

Hermione turned to Ron with a fiery glance that made the former shrink deeply into his seat. 

"How could you let your father get your mother a _house-elf_?" She demanded. 

Ron shook his head and shrugged helplessly. 

"Aw, come off it, Hermione. She only works during the summer, and only _part_ time." 

Hermione scowled and shook her head, silent again. Harry glanced at Ron, who was now staring wordlessly at the dingy floor of the car, his ears scarlet once more. Harry coughed a bit and began to speak to Hermione, eager to ease the tension that had amazingly been built within the past five minutes. 

"So, Hermione, what were you muttering when I came out here?" He asked politely. 

Hermione immediately brightened. 

"Oh, nothing much. I was just reciting the list of important ingredients in Potions that Professor Snape told us to memorize for the beginning of fifth year." She said cheerfully. 

Ron and Harry both turned to her and blanched. 

"Wh-what list?" Ron asked, shock showing clearly his eyes. 

Hermione turned back to him, a disapproving frown spreading across her lips. 

"You don't know? Oh, Ron, you _must_ remember! Professor Snape put such emphasis on its memorization!" She said, worry covering her disapproval. 

Ron's mouth fell open slightly, giving him the look of a fish out of water. All of a sudden a laugh erupted from the front seat. 

"You don't mean to tell me that Snape gave you lot a list to memorize?" George yelled over the wind. 

Ron and Harry nodded wordlessly, but Hermione spoke right up. 

"Oh, of course! Professor Snape said it was of GREAT importance that we memorize it, for we would be using most of the specimens this year." Hermione insisted. 

George chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, Ronnie, you're in a bit of a spot _aren't_ you?"

"Can't believe this. It's all a dream. It's just a dream. It IS a dream ain't it Hermione?" Ron pleaded, turning to face her. 

She shook her head disapprovingly. 

"_Isn't_, not ain't. And I _can't_ believe you didn't remember such an impor-," She was cut off by a groan from Ron as he buried his hands in his red hair. 

"I'm DOOMED! Doomed I tell you! I'm going to die! Snape's gonna do me in! Bloody _hell_! How could I have been so blind?" Ron continued to mutter into his hands as Hermione stared at him. Finally she shrugged and turned away. 

"Pathetic." She said simply, allowing that simple word to speak volumes. 

Harry grinned. It was good to be with his friends again.

After exceeding the speed limit twice, going the wrong way down a one way street, and turning left on a red light, the twins finally parked the convertible a few blocks away from Diagon Alley so they wouldn't look suspicious. 

"You know, just in case someone's watchin' us." Fred said as he got out of the car. 

"Not like we've been doing anything noticeable though!" George commented cheerfully. 

Hermione simply rolled her eyes. Harry followed the Weasleys as they slipped into the pub, The Leaky Cauldron, whose secret entrance was sandwiched between a book shop and a busy record shop. Harry ignored the stunned looks he received from the wizards and witches as he stepped into the pub. The bald, toothless landlord Tom, looked surprised as he caught sight of Harry, but a moment later cast him a knowing smile and went back to his business. Ron practically had to drag Fred and George away from the pub as they began to bring forth their wares for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and show them to the occupants. Fred came very near to jinxing Ron when he pulled him away from an elderly wizard purchasing the new Blab Blockers, but other than that, the twins made it out several galleons richer.

"I could have gotten that old gent to buy three more, Ron, if you'd let us hang about a bit longer." George muttered as he tapped a brick in the wall behind the Leaky Cauldron.

"What would that old man want with three more pairs of Blab Blockers?" Hermione asked.

"For his friends!" Fred said with a grin as the wall parted to reveal the entrance to Diagon Alley.

As the group slipped into Diagon Alley, Harry breathed in deeply the sights and sounds flashing past him. This was where he belonged, surrounded by people who were just like him, who didn't think he was a moron or a freak. He looked around at his friends, at Ron who trudged down the road, his hands in his pockets, looking uninterested in anything that was happening, at Hermione who was carefully checking over her list of things to get for the school year, and of course at Fred and George who were sniggering about the color of passing wizard's robes. 

"He looks like a Canary Creme!" Fred chuckled. 

"No! More like vomit, I'd say!" George countered before the two burst into horribly audible chuckles.

No, Harry wouldn't want to be anywhere other than right where he was at that moment. As he gazed at the Weasleys, Harry frowned. Something was wrong with the picture before him, but he couldn't quite make out what it was. It was like looking at a picture with one section of it missing. Suddenly, inspiration came to him. Someone was missing from the group.

"Ron, where's Ginny?" He asked suddenly. 

"Oh, she's got a cold and Mum didn't want her coming out and chance giving it to everyone else, so Fred n' George are supposed to be getting her things. Good _luck_." Ron muttered, watching as Fred 'dropped' a Ton-Tongue Toffee on the ground right in the path of a wandering wizard child. 

"Ron!" 

Ron quickly turned to face an incensed Hermione. 

"Why didn't you tell us your sister was sick? Don't you care at all about her? Don't you think _we_ care?" She demanded. 

Ron stared at her in confusion and looked to Harry, throwing his hands in the air. 

"You didn't bloody well _ask _me where she was, Hermione!" Ron protested. 

Hermione shook her head at both of them. 

"If you're going to be such a pig I might as well, well, walk with Fred and George!" She said picking up her pace. 

"Why don't you then? I dare you!" Ron yelled. 

A glint came into Hermione's eyes and she tossed her head, quickly walked up to Fred and George and began talking to them. Ron stared at her in disbelief. 

"Did she just," He asked aloud. 

"Yep." Harry finished for him. 

Ron simply shook his head as George laughed at something Hermione said. 

"Girls." He muttered.

Harry turned around as a sudden scream spread down the cobblestone street. Hermione and Ron whirled about, identical looks of horror on their faces. However, Fred and George stared straight ahead, trying to keep impish grins from spreading across their faces. Behind them, the small wizard child had obviously picked up the toffee that the twins had 'dropped' and his tongue was growing longer and wider by the minute. As the lolling tongue rolled down the sidewalk, Harry and Ron both ran up to where Fred and George and Hermione were quickly walking away. 

"You both are sick! Sick!" Ron whispered fiercely. 

Fred and George both turned to him with identical, triumphant smiles. 

"Why thank you, dear brother. Glad you realize our genius!" George said with a flourish. 

"Delighted!" Fred concurred. 

Ron shook his head, disbelief and embarrassment spreading as rapidly as a rainstorm across his face. 

"Oh, go stick your heads in a toilet! Can't believe I've got such gits for brothers." Ron muttered. 

"Yeah, well I can't believe you didn't _formally_ introduce us to Hermione sooner! I mean, _Ron_, she's got the entire recipe figured out for an idea we just thought of for our joke shop!" George said excitedly. 

"What?!" Ron bellowed. 

"Yeah! Exploding jelly-beans! Explode in your mouth, not in your hand!" Fred recited happily. 

"I don't believe this!" Ron moaned, smacking his hand against his forehead. 

"After all these years! We'll finally be able to get our stuff out faster and more efficiently! All thanks to Hermione!" George said triumphantly, pumping his fist in the air.

Harry chuckled as Hermione merely blushed and tilted her head in Ron's direction, smiling rather smugly as they stepped into 'Flourish & Blotts.' When Hermione wanted to make Ron regret his words, she _certainly_ made him regret his words.

The bookshop was alive with wizarding folk of all sizes, children, adults, teenagers, all there for their books needed for school. 

"Hogwarts, fifth year, please." Harry said as he walked up to the counter. The saleswoman behind the counter nodded and smiled, going off to get his books. 

"Could you get two more fifth year sets please?" Ron yelled to her as he walked up behind Harry. 

The saleswoman smiled and nodded, not at all put off by Ron's yelling. Harry smiled and shook his head as Ron and Hermione stepped off to the side and began to argue once more about Fred and George. However, his comfortable mood began to quickly slip away. A sharp pin-prick of pain that had started at his scalp, now coursed its way to a certain spot on his forehead: his scar was burning with a white-hot fire. He rubbed at it frantically, eager be rid of the pain. The pain was becoming unbearable. Smooth, but sharp, the pain pierced him over and over. He was now doubled over in pain. He stumbled over to the stairs leading into the bookstore's balcony so as not to attract attention. There he remained doubled over rocking slowly back and forth, his head in his lap, his hands buried in his black hair. Through pain, Harry felt footsteps stop close beside him. Slowly he looked up and found the cool, gray eyes of Draco Malfoy burning into his own green ones. A new shock of pain besieged his head and he bent back over, gasping through the pain. He saw Draco move closer, and surprisingly felt the pain in his head intensify. Harry glanced up at Draco just in time to see a smirk cross his pale face.

"What's the matter, Potter? Got an itch?" He sneered. 

"Stick your head in dragon dung, Malfoy." Ron said, stepping up protectively next to Harry, eyeing his twisted face with concern. Harry winced as the pain flared to an even greater measure. It seemed as though Malfoy's very eyes were burning into him the longer he stared at him.

"Oh, please. Is that the best you can come up with, Weasley?" Draco scoffed, finally turning away from Harry to eye Ron scathingly. 

"At the moment, yes. But obviously, the size of your head is swelling. You might want to leave before it blows up the entire ruddy building!" Ron retorted. 

Draco's eyes narrowed and he sighed dismally and turned swiftly from him to eye Harry. The moment he did, the pain in his scar intensified to a horrific level and he gasped in pain.

"See you at Hogwarts, Potter." A sly smile slid across Draco's lips and he cocked his head and stared almost curiously at Harry. "That is, if you even make it. Maybe You-Know-Who will finish you off this time. Good riddance." 

Draco then turned about abruptly and stalked out of the store, his black robes billowing around his tall figure. Harry stood still, gasping in pain, but a moment later, he straightened. He tenderly reached up and felt his scar. Nothing. The pain was gone. The pain had receded with Draco's absence. 

"It doesn't hurt anymore." He whispered.

"What?" Ron asked, turning towards him, but not before scowling at the door by which Draco had exited. 

"My scar. It doesn't hurt anymore." Harry repeated. Ron's eyebrows raised. 

"You mean, completely?" He asked quietly.

"The minute Malfoy left it stopped hurting." 

"That's curious, Harry. Real curious." He whispered. "What do you suppose,"

"Here are your books, dears." The saleswoman said cheerily as she set down three piles of books on the counter. 

Ron stopped speaking abruptly and thanked the woman. As he did this, Harry made a move to turn around but stopped and squinted off into the distance. A few feet away stood Fred and Hermione, both eagerly looking through a book called, So, You Want To Be An Inventor, by Albert Repertour. However, George Weasley was not paying attention. In fact, he was standing a little way away from his brother and the girl. In fact, he was standing quite close to the door of the shop. His blue eyes were eerily still, unblinking as they stared fixedly out the large bay windows that looked out onto the busy street. Strangely enough, as Harry looked closer, he realized that the Weasley boy's eyes weren't blue anymore. They were a startling black, with a tinge of blue around the edges. Harry blinked and adjusted his glasses. It appeared that George's pupils had grown greatly, and it wasn't due to lack of light as the shop was full of sunshine.

Thinking the sun must be a part of the problem with his vision, Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. But when he settled them back on his face and squinted for a better look, he jumped as George had moved to stand close to him and was now looking at him with a grin on his mischievous face. 

"Need help getting your stuff, Harry?" He asked cheerily. 

Harry blinked, then stared at the boy's eyes. The blank stare had gone, his eyes restored to their normal clear blue.

"No, no I don't think so. Thank you though, George." Harry stuttered, finally moving his eyes away from the boy's face and grabbing his books off the counter. 

He didn't speak for a long time, not even when the twins suggested ice-cream on them. Fred, George and Hermione all walked ahead of Ron and Harry, talking eagerly among themselves. The twins were quite obviously ecstatic at the fountain of knowledge that made up Hermione Granger and weren't taking any chances of losing her. Any time Ron tried to make conversation with Hermione, the twins glared daggers at Hermione and refused to allow Hermione to be distracted from them. So Ron was left to stare at their backs and fume. Harry on the other hand didn't look at them at all, but simply stared blankly ahead of him, deep in thought.

"I don't get it. Why here? Why Diagon Alley?" He wondered aloud. 

"Bloody prats. They're just a bunch of, of, gits that's what." Ron muttered, his narrowed eyes fixed on Hermione, Fred and George. 

"What?" Harry finally came out of his reverie and turned to look at Ron. Ron gave no sign of having heard Harry's previous questions. His bright blue eyes were intense and fixed solely on Hermione and his brothers. 

"Look at them. They're all just a little happy family! Why don't they just _slobber_ and get it over with, for goodness sake." He scowled. 

"Ron!" Harry said loudly. Ron finally brought his gaze away from his brothers and Hermione and turned to Harry. 

"What?" He asked, a tinge of annoyance lacing his voice. 

"Can you forget about them for a moment and help me figure this out?" Harry asked desperately.

"Figure _what_ out? Oh! The thing with Malfoy. Well, we've always known he was a bugger. Shouldn't surprise me at all if he's a Death Eater or something. Dunno if they start that early, but still." Ron said casually, already shifting his gaze back to his brothers.

"It's just so strange. It started when Malfoy came in, ended when Malfoy left." Harry murmured. 

"Tell you what, mate." Ron said, offhandedly. "Why don't we just ask Dumbledore or someone for some, some, oh, I dunno, spell or something to get rid of Malfoy. Like, ah, Death-Eater-Be-Gone or something. People make that right?" 

Harry stared incredulously at Ron, who blushed and shrugged helplessly. 

"Hey, boys what flavors do you want?" George yelled over to them from the front of Florean Fortescue's ice-cream parlor, that he, Fred and Hermione had just approached.

" 'Peanuts and Creme'! You know that, you pillock." The first sentence was yelled by Ron, the second hidden under his breath. 

"Could I have 'Strawberry-Mint'?" Harry called. 

George nodded and waved enthusiastically as he ran inside the parlor, Fred and Hermione following close behind. As Ron and Harry followed them, Harry saw Ron's eyes narrow as Fred turned to Hermione with a gracious smile and asked, 

"And what would _you_ like, Hermione?" 

Harry suppressed a chuckle as he saw Ron's fists clench and unclench slowly as Hermione laughed and answered, 

"Oh, 'Jelly-Bean Snap' I think." She said with a smile. 

Fred nodded and relayed the message to George. Harry took a close look at George as he bent over to watch the wizard scoop the ice-cream. His red hair looked the same as it always had, a little longer perhaps so that it fell in his fair face. It was the same red, his freckles as pronounced as usual. There was no difference between him and Fred, except that George wore a blue shirt and Fred a red one. Both had on blue jeans. But George had changed only a few minutes ago.....

"Here's your ice-cream Harry! Don't let it melt." George added cautiously as he passed the cone to Harry with a grin. Harry started, but smiled as he took the cone from him and settled down on one of the tables that were scattered about the place. He licked it thoughtfully, not turning to look as Ron sat down beside him. Ron turned his head as Hermione received her cone from Fred and called to her. 

"Hey, Hermione! Wanna sit with me an' Harry?" He asked. Hermione turned her brown eyes to him and observed him thoughtfully. 

"No, I think I'm going sit over there with Fred and George." Harry stifled a chuckle as Hermione followed the twins outside the shop to sit on a bench across the street and sat down with them. Ron's jaw jutted forward as he sat back in his seat, and his blue eyes looked very much to Harry as though they could spit fire at any moment. A moment later, he caught Harry's amused gaze and his eyes cooled slightly. 

"She's just getting back at me you know. She's just sore." He said firmly, as if trying to convince himself. 

Harry nodded, putting on a serious face for the sake of his friend. Ron nodded determinedly, but a moment later stole another glance towards them. Hermione sat in between Fred and George, talking eagerly with them and they with her. Harry cocked his head as he noticed what was so different about the three of them. Hermione was happy. Truly happy. For once, she wasn't being interrupted with sarcastic remarks about how it wasn't good to be a braggart and a know-it-all. Fred and George were actually listening to her and were appreciating what she was saying. When Harry turned to Ron, he knew that he realized it too, for there was a somewhat guilty look on his face as he licked his ice-cream. 

"You know what else it is?" Ron asked, licking a dribble of ice-cream that slid down his fingers. "She's getting older. Ginny's been acting like that too. Real irritable, stuff like that. Mum says just to leave her alone and be nice. All she'll say is that it's hormones." Ron took another lick of his ice-cream. "I'll never understand girls, Harry. Never." Ron said with a sigh.

Harry forgot about Draco and the odd business with George very soon after that, for Fred and George's talk with Hermione had made them ambitious. They took every chance they could to drop their items about for people to find: Canary Cremes, Ton-Tongue Toffees, exploding candy-wrappers, you name it, they dropped it. Every time a small explosion occurred either just behind them or a few blocks away, the twins tried hard to stifle their laughter, and failed miserably. They even managed to get a smile out of Ron when a teenager they had seen from Hogwarts (who happened to be in Slytherin), fairly pounced on the rubber bouncy ball, covered in an exploding candy wrapper that stated that inside resided a, "CHUNKY CHOCOLATE BALL". The boy yelled loudly as his fingers undid the wrapper and it exploded in his hands with a sharp crack and a wisp of smoke. Fred and George held each other as they tried to compose themselves, but it was too hard. To them, they were successes. But _unfortunately_, the boy had seen their action and had strode up to them angrily.

"Say! What the _hell_ was that for?" He yelled, looming menacingly in front of Fred and George. The twins smiled at him as they wiped tears from their eyes. 

"Sorry, mate. They say the candy chooses the eater." Fred said, hiccoughing loudly. 

"Yeah, and sometimes the candy chooses to explode!" George said, breaking out into hysterical laughter again. 

Fred started up as well and they both grasped each other for support. Ron put his hand over his mouth to hide his grin that threatened to spill all over his face and Harry did the same. Hermione simply smiled sweetly and stepped forward. 

"You see, what's your name?" She asked. The boy turned his intense gray eyes down to her. 

"Martin Wothes." He said coolly. 

"You see, Martin Wothes, you have taken part in an experiment that is sure to make you famous." 

The boy's gaze did not falter. 

"Oh yeah?" He said. 

"Yes. You see, these two gentlemen are the future creators of "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes", a joke shop which will surely be famous." 

"Fred and George Weasley. A pleasure, I'm sure." Fred said tearfully as he and George extended their hands at the same time. Martin eyed them as they shook his hands heartily. 

"So you see, this is an experiment to see if their joke shop will be a hit. Do you feel that you've been amply tricked to your satisfaction?" Hermione asked calmly. 

Ron abruptly leaned over to Harry and whispered, 

"She's acting like one of those ladies on the news." 

Harry smiled at the idea of Hermione being a newscaster, or a reporter like Rita Skeeter. To their surprise, a smile slowly stretched across Martin's face. 

"Yeah, I would say so. I'd take a nip into you fellows' joke shop if it was ever made. That was a pretty neat trick. Although I _was_ hoping for some chocolate." He said, eyeing the rather scorched bouncing-ball in his hand. Fred quickly dug around in his pockets and held out his hand towards Martin. 

"Here. One of them is chocolate, one of them is our own creation, a Ton-Tongue Toffee." He said with a smile, placing the round candies in Martin's palm. 

"Makes your tongue grow." George added. 

Martin's grin spread across his face and he pocketed the two candies. 

"See you boys at Hogwarts." He said before shaking his head with a laugh and walking off. 

"Well he sure didn't act like a Slytherin." Ron commented. 

"No, indeed. He was quite polite." Hermione agreed. 

"Nice fellow." George said simply. 

"He didn't guess which one was which." Fred muttered with a frown.

************************************************************************

****

Author's Note: If you really are into disclaimers, see Chapter 1, 'cause that's the last time I'm gonna say that. ;-) Input appreciated as this is my first HP fic. Love ya'll!

T.H.


	3. Courtesy of the Weasley Twins

****

CHAPTER 3.

COURTESY OF THE WEASLEY TWINS

After their excursion in Diagon Alley, the whole group drove back to the Weasley's home, or more appropriately dubbed, 'The Burrow'. The twins had decided as they walked back to the car that they would switch off driving. So Fred took the wheel on the way home, much to Ron's dismay. Unfortunately, he was not much of a better driver than his brother, although he _did_ manage to remember to stay on the right side of the street when he had to prepare to make a right turn. Before long, Fred brought the car to a cock-eyed, screeching halt in front of 'The Burrow', jolting everyone in their seats.

"Thank goodness we had our seatbelts on. I've got to hand it to Muggles. At least they put protection from crazy, maniac drivers like my brothers in this thing." Ron muttered as he unclipped his seat-belt. 

"Well, Freds, here you go." George said sadly as he passed over a handful of galleons to Fred. Fred grinned triumphantly as he deposited the money in his pockets while the remaining three stared at the twins suspiciously. 

"George," Harry started. "What was that for?" 

George shrugged sadly and enviously eyed his brother . 

"Bet Fred that he'd crash on the way home. Lost my bet, obviously." 

Ron shuddered and opened the car door quickly, as if afraid that the twins might still try to crash the car, though the parking brake was on.

When they walked up to the door, Fred and George held up their arms, bringing everyone else to a halt. They paused and both pressed their ears to the door. Harry listened closely, trying to hear what the twins were hearing. Then, he heard it. It was the faint sound of yelling coming from the other side of the door of the Burrow. Harry turned to face Ron and both frowned, wondering what Mrs. Weasley could be yelling about. It was the absolute opposite effect for Fred and George. The twins merely turned to each other slowly, grins on their faces. 

"Ah, well! Let's go greet our public." Fred said, cracking his knuckles as George opened the door excitedly. 

As he walked in, Harry had trouble remembering that the house was indeed a house. If he wasn't mistaken, it reminded him more of a sink full of soap bubbles than the Burrow. In fact, he wasn't far off on that point. The rough floor was covered with sudsy bubbles, the walls the same, as well as the ceiling. In order to get to the sound of the yelling, they had to push through mountains of bubbles, closing their eyes and mouths to keep the soap from getting inside them.

"You're lucky, Harry! Having those glasses!" Ron yelled over his mother's din , feeling through the bubbles blindly. 

"Still gotta cover my eyes though." Harry muttered as a wad of bubbles wedged itself behind his glasses. From somewhere amidst the bubbly mess, there was a snort of impatience and a flash of light. Suddenly, a path through the bubbles had been cleared all the way to the kitchen and Hermione stood in the center of it, brushing bubbles from her frizzy brown hair. 

"Hermione, you're brilliant!" Ron exploded as he stepped into the path she had created with her wand. 

"Thank you for noticing." She said coolly. 

"Aw, come off it. Ain't you forgiven me yet?" Ron asked, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"The word you're searching for is, '_Haven't_,' and no, I don't think so." She said firmly. 

Suddenly, two snowy figures emerged from the bubbles and a long pair of arms swooped about Hermione, giving her a bubbly hug. 

"I _love_ you, Hermione!" Fred crowed with a grin. 

Hermione quickly brushed him off, but not before both Harry _and_ Ron noticed the look of pleasure that crossed her face. 

"Honestly, one would think that you fancied them or something." Ron muttered as the twins proceeded down the cleared hallway. Hermione turned to face him sharply. 

"You're just jealous!" She accused. 

"Jealous? Me? Why on earth would I be jealous of my brothers!?" Ron bellowed , stepping closer to Hermione as his face reddened. 

"Don't be so loud! Because they appreciate me and my knowledge and treat me like a human being, perhaps?" Hermione snapped. 

"I am NOT being loud! And I DO treat you like a human being!" Ron countered as loud as before. 

"FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY!!" 

The argument was quickly broken off as a look of excitement came over Ron's face as his mother's voice echoed throughout the entire house. 

"I've _got_ to see this!" He muttered excitedly as he grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him towards the sound of the voice. 

However, he didn't get far. Instead, he yelled loudly as a long broom came out of the mass of bubbles and nearly hit him squarely on the head. There was a muttering of words and a flash of light as Mrs. Weasley made a path through the bubbles. She looked at Ron and Harry apologetically. 

"Sorry, dears. How are you, Harry? I thought you boys were Fred and George. Where are those two? I swear when I'm finished with them," Mrs. Weasley looked around as if her eyes could see through the very walls of the Burrow. Harry would believe it if it was proved that she could do just that. She'd _have_ to be able to in order to keep up with her twin sons. 

"Honestly, what happened, Mum?" Ron asked, looking around his bubble-covered house. 

"Oh, just the twins up to their usual tricks, only this time I was stupid enough to do _exactly_ what they wanted." Mrs. Weasley muttered. "There was this string hanging from the ceiling with a note on it that said, _IMPORTANT EXPERIMENT IN PROGRESS. DO NOT PULL!! F. & G. W. _Of course, thinking they were up to some of their nonsense, I pulled it. Look at this mess!" She said in an aggravated tone. 

"Isn't it a dish, Mum?" A voice called out. 

"You pulled the string and the string was attached to the final ingredient of the potion and it poured into the cauldron. Fabulous, Mum!" Another voice said. 

A moment later, Fred and George stepped out from behind a mountain of bubbles, grins of triumph plastered tightly on their faces. Mrs. Weasley's eyes narrowed as she caught sight of them, and the twinkles in the twins' eyes faded slightly. 

"You think this is funny, don't you? Right jolly!?" She asked pointing her finger at them accusingly. 

Both twins nodded emphatically. 

"This is fabulous!" Fred said. 

"Marvelous!" George added. 

"Well, then, you _both_ can clean this up, _without magic_!" 

The twins' faces fell as they glanced at each other. Then they eyed their mother hopefully. 

"Well, would you say this was a success, Mum?" Fred asked meekly. 

Their mother's face softened as she looked at the twins and she nodded regretfully. 

"I would say it was an abysmal success." Delighted looks came over the twins' faces and they cheered loudly. "Now go get started!" Their mother bellowed, sending them in a flurry of grabbing mops and towels.

Ron grinned smugly as he watched his brothers clean up the mess, but it faded slightly as he watched Hermione run up the stairs, muttering something about checking on Ginny.

"How are you, Harry, dear? Enjoying your summer?" Mrs. Weasley asked, turning to Harry and settling her hand gently on his shoulder. 

"Oh yes, Mrs. Weasley, but I can't _wait_ to get back to Hogwarts." Harry said longingly.

A pained look seeped into the woman's eyes as she took in the boy. He had grown, shot up several inches in the last few months since she saw him last, when he had gotten captured by that _awful_ You-Know-Who. When the boy had first come to Hogwarts, there had been a look of apprehension in his eyes. He didn't know what to think or how to react to the goings on around him. He wasn't like her Ron who had grown up with magic his whole life. But he had adapted. He was tall, taller than herself, his black hair still unkempt and untamable. However, though he had grown, the sparkle that had made its home in Harry Potter's green eyes remained, giving the boy an impish look about him. _She_ knew why her Ginny had a crush on Harry. 

In that moment, she sized up her boys. Both Ron and Harry were the same height, several feet over her short frame. Ron was quickly catching up to the lanky twins, growing out of shoes and robes as fast as she bought them. But the freckles that vexed him so were still there, as was the long nose with a bit of a snub to it and the bright, red Weasley hair. But like Harry, the twinkle in his blue eyes remained, as did his impishness and love for trouble. She sighed dismally as she allowed her hand to drop off Harry's broad shoulder. Why did children have to grow up _so_ fast?

Harry noticed the visible change that came over Molly Weasley's face, and to his surprise, so did Ron. As she turned around and slowly zapped a way through the bubbles to make a way to her kitchen sink, they both eyed each other with meaningful looks before walking out of the kitchen. As they shoved through the bubbles over to the stairs that lead up to Ron's room, Ron sighed, almost as dismally as his mother had. 

"She doesn't want me to grow up you know? She wishes I could stay a little boy forever." He said quietly as he trudged up the stairs. 

"Do you blame her? You're her last son. She loves you very much." Harry commented. 

"Yeah, I know. But it just makes me feel bad when she looks at me that way. I can't stop myself from growing or changing, any more than Fred and George can stop pulling their stupid pranks!" Ron murmured, shaking his head as they walked into his room. 

"I know. But don't be hard on her. That'll hurt her even more." Harry advised. 

Ron jumped on his bed and winced as the boards beneath him groaned loudly. 

"I know. I'll try. I just don't like feeling like I'm the baby." He said quietly. 

"Well, you're not. Ginny's the baby." Harry said. 

Ron's head shot up and a righteous frustration spread into his face. 

"YEAH! I know! She's _such_ a baby! I mean, c'mon! She gets everything new! I don't! I never get anything new! Well, Pig was new, but I didn't get him from my parents!" Ron exploded. 

Harry took it all in stride. He and Ron had had this conversation many times before: in the common room at Hogwarts, the dining room and here in this very room, but Ron seemed to forget that they'd already discussed it every time he brought it up again. 

"Ron, she's a girl." Came the well-practiced answer. Ron's flushed face calmed down slightly as he lay his head back on his bright orange, Chudley Cannons pillow. 

"Yeah, that's right." He murmured. "I just wish I could be like Charlie, or Bi-" 

Before Ron could finish his wishful thinking, a loud scream echoed from the kitchen downstairs.

Ron's body shot to attention almost immediately, his muscles tense. Harry stared at him in surprise. Never had Harry thought that Ron's mother's scream would get him to rise so quickly. But then, he did very much the same when he heard his own Mother's dying screams in his most horrible nightmares. 

"There's something wrong with Mum. That's not her 'Fred and George' scream." Ron muttered before throwing open the door to his bedroom and leaping down the stairs four at a time, Harry following closely behind him. 

They shoved through the bubbles to the kitchen. Hermione had made it there before them, holding Ginny close to her, her face white. She turned her frightened brown eyes to them and inside them, Harry could see the utter terror that rested there. Ron fought his way to her and placed his hand firmly on her shoulder. 

"You alright?" She nodded silently. Ron's large hand made its way to Ginny's bright red hair. "You alright, Gin?" He asked, pulling one of her pigtails. She nodded and sniffled a bit. "Where's Mum?" He asked, turning back to Hermione. 

Hermione said nothing, but merely nodded towards the kitchen floor. Ron turned to look at the floor and as he did so, his bright eyes widened and he ran to the site. Lying on the sudsy floor with Mrs. Weasley, Fred and George crowding about him was Bill Weasley.


	4. Bill Weasley

****

CHAPTER 4.

BILL WEASLEY

It was impossible for Harry not to know who Bill Weasley was, for Bill Weasley was not one that you forgot very often. With his black leather clothes and his long red hair tied at the nape of his neck, and his earring, you could hardly forget him anytime soon, for he looked so unlike his brothers. Actually, Harry realized, it wasn't so hard to believe that he was related to Fred or George, but to know that he was related to Percy? Impossible. Harry dropped to his knees beside Ron as Mrs. Weasley held her son's hand. Bill's eyes were closed tightly shut and his face was a ghastly color. For once smiles were wiped clean from the twins' faces as they eyed their brother, while Fred checked Bill's pulse. 

"It's alright, Mum. A little fast, but alright." He said quietly, letting go of his brother's hand. Mrs. Weasley nodded determinedly. 

"Step back, boys." She said quietly, drawing her wand from the place on the floor where she had dropped it. She took one more sad look at her son's face then waved it boldly through the air as she shouted, "_EXCITO_!"

At first nothing happened. The room was silent as its occupants stared at the boy. 

"How did he get here, Mum? I thought he was still in Egypt." Ron said quietly. 

"He was. He just apparated right in here and fainted dead away on the floor. You think he looks bad now, he looked worse a few moments ago." Mrs. Weasley choked. Ron quickly put his arm around his mother. 

"Look, Mum!" Fred cried out. 

"I think his eye moved." George said, peering closely at Bill's face. And it was true, his eyes did flutter slightly, then they opened slightly, and then wider till they could see the hazel color of his eyes.

"Mum?" He croaked. A sob arose in Mrs. Weasley's throat as she threw herself on her son. Bill smiled as she hugged him and held his head in her lap, winking at Ron and Harry as she did so. "Mum, I'm alright. Honest I am. Just a little, well," Bill didn't finish his sentence, but instead let it hang. 

"I don't care, Bill! What happened to you? Why did you come and faint? Are you ill? Did you catch some bug in Egypt? All those strange people and animals over there. My poor baby." Mrs. Weasley murmured. Bill rolled his eyes weakly and tried to sit up.

" I'm okay, Mum. Heya, Freds, George. How's it goin'?" Bill asked. Harry watched the eldest Weasley boy as he sat up. He was obviously trying to prove to his mother that he was just fine. But he was not just fine. His face was pale and there was a look in his eyes that betrayed his reassuring words. After Fred and George said their 'hullos', Bill turned to Ron and rumpled his hair. 

"How ya doing, kid? How's my kid brother?" He asked, a teasing air in his voice. Ron groaned and thrust his hand off. 

"Alright. What are you hiding?" Ron leaned over and whispered the last part, but Harry was still able to hear. Bill pulled back from Ron and shook his head meaning, 'Not now.' Ginny threw herself on Bill and Bill rolled his eyes as he patted her back reassuringly. 

"It's alright, Gin! See, no bones broken." He said, pulling her away so he could see her face. "Honestly, you girls cry more than the worst rainstorm in England." Mrs. Weasley and Ginny managed to smile at that, but as Ginny climbed off Bill's lap she gave him an extra squeeze. 

"Why don't you children go outside? I want to talk with Bill a bit." Mrs. Weasley said, helping Bill to his feet. 

"Aw, Mum! Can't we stay?" The twins chorused. 

"Out!" Mrs. Weasley said firmly, pointing a long, slender finger towards the door. Everyone slowly marched out the door, the twins closing the door behind them. 

"Well, that just stinks. We have a right to know what's going on just like Mum does!" Fred complained, crossing his lanky arms across his chest. 

"Yeah, but obviously she doesn't want us to know." Harry said. 

"Neither does Bill." Ron murmured. 

"Well I'm not standin' for that." George said firmly, pulling out his wand. 

"Oh no you don't!" The boys turned in the direction of the shrill cry. Hermione stood straight like a general commanding her troops, her brown eyes steely and her hands on her hips. "We're not going to eavesdrop! That's wrong! They told us we don't have to know, so we don't have to know! Don't get mixed up in something you shouldn't!" She exclaimed. 

"Oh come off it, Hermione! We're gonna do it!" Ron said, waving his hand towards her. Hermione stamped her foot. 

"If you do this, I'll, I'll, I'll tell your father!" Hermione yelled. 

"Oh yeah? Well he'd probably commend us then. Say we were doing the right thing because we're family and we've got a right to know!" Ron and Hermione were now almost nose to nose, both pairs of eyes blazing holes in each other's faces. 

"Fine! Do what you want! But Ginny and I are going to obey and are going to leave!" Hermione yelled. 

"Fine! Good riddance!" Ron yelled back. 

Hermione sniffed and put her arm protectively around Ginny, whose face was now looking almost as pale as Bill's, and they both walked away. Ron snorted with disgust as he turned back to the boys. 

"Tell my father, HA! Whatever! I'd like to see her tell, WHAT?" Ron turned back only to be met by leering grins from both his brothers. They looked at each other before George said, 

"Ahhh, true love!" Ron's face grew terribly red as he stared at them. 

"OH SHUT UP!" he yelled. 

"Now, now, no need to yell. We're gonna miss everything." Fred said, putting an arm between the two brothers. He and George brought up their wands, waved them slowly and murmured, 

"_Ausculto_!"

Almost immediately there was sound. They could hear that it was coming from inside the kitchen. Granted, they couldn't see anything, but that wasn't important. 

__

It's almost like listening to a radio, Harry mused. 

"How'd you learn this?" Ron whispered wonderingly. Fred and George grinned. 

"Well, we saw Rita Skeeter do it one time. You know, before Hermione figured out she was a beetle? It was really wicked! She was on the other side of the Dining Hall, and she just said the spell and me and Fred both heard everyone in the Dining Hall talking." George whispered, motioning for quiet. All four of them stood stock still as they listened to the conversation that they had just come into. 

"It almost had me, Mum. That's all. I mean, it wasn't like it was human. That was what was strange. It knew exactly what I wanted and it was willing to give it to me." Bill said, his voice strained. They heard the sound of coffee cups as they were settled on the table, then as liquid was poured in them. 

"Bill, this is dangerous. It's not just child's play. You and I both know that it is involved with You-Know-Who," Mrs. Weasley said, only to be cut off by Bill. "Wrong, it is a right-hand servant of You-Know-Who. That's why its so dangerous. Granted, when you see it, it doesn't seem so bad, but it is. It's the most dangerous thing of all, besides You-Know-Who of course." Bill said. They heard a coffee mug rattle as it was settled on the. 

"Do you think it'll be safe to send the children to Hogwarts? I mean, with that little boy dead," Mrs. Weasley said worriedly. Four pairs of eyes outside the house stared at each other in alarm, each one filled with the same thought, _Someone was killed by this thing?_

"He wasn't that young. He was sixteen years old and a regular at Hogwarts. But what was strange is that Martin Wothes was a Slytherin, but he still resisted it." Ron gasped loudly. Fred and George shushed him, but he wouldn't be quiet. "Martin Wothes was the kid who you gave the exploding candy wrapper to! Remember! In Diagon Alley!" Realization echoed over the twins' faces as they stared at Ron, then turned to each other. A cold shiver ran through Harry. 

__

Then this has just happened. We were probably the last people to see Martin before, that, that thing killed him. Harry thought.

"Still. Sixteen years old is still young. Ron is only fifteen, a year younger!" Mrs. Weasley said anxiously. 

"He isn't the only one it's killed, Mum." Bill said quietly. The boys heard a gasp coming from Mrs. Weasley as she continued. 

"You don't mean, this thing has killed before?" She asked. 

"I'm saying just that. Only top secret forces of the Ministry know exactly how many. They wanted to keep things quiet, didn't want to upset anybody." Bill said, anger tingeing his voice. 

"Was anyone we know killed, Bill?" Mrs. Weasley asked fearfully. They heard a slight thump as Bill let his hand fall to the table. 

"Yeah. Melinda Montgomery." He said quietly. Mrs. Weasley let out a cry. "No! Not her! Oh poor Melinda! And after what happened to Lucy and Monty, oh goodness." Mrs. Weasley said with sadness.

"No way." Harry looked to Ron as he whispered this phrase. His red head was dropped as he listened, his face screwed up in confusion. 

"Who's Melinda Montgomery?" Harry whispered. Ron slowly turned towards him. 

"One of Bill's friends from school. Graduated in his first year. Her parents were killed by Death Eaters only a few months ago." Ron whispered, his eyes wide and filled with both sadness and confusion. 

"Oh Bill." Mrs. Weasley whispered, filling the silence that had come between them. 

"As to sending the kids to Hogwarts," Bill finally continued, some edge of strength returning to his voice. "I think its the best place_ to_ send them. I mean, they'll be protected by Dumbledore. It would be a different matter if they were full-fledged wizards. Then they might be able to hold out on their own, but still. Mum, send the kids to Hogwarts. Keep 'em safe. The safest place to go right now is Hogwarts. Some of the kids from the other schools are even coming over to Hogwarts." There was an exclamation on Mrs. Weasley's part. 

"Why on earth?" She asked. 

"They don't feel safe at their own schools. So they're going to Hogwarts." Bill said nonchalantly. 

"Are their superiors sending them there?" Mrs. Weasley asked. 

"Some of them are in secret. The heads of the schools don't want people to think they're weak, so they're not doing it. Its gotta be some of the teachers and the kids' parents. But anyway, if kids from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are coming to Hogwarts for safety, I don't think you should hesitate to send Fred, George, Ron and Ginny either. Or Harry for that matter. Especially Harry." Bill murmured.

"The poor child." Mrs. Weasley murmured. 

"As for me, I better be getting back to Gringotts. Now don't worry Mum. I'll be fine. It won't get me. It won't ever get me. I promise." Bill said quietly. The boys knew that Mrs. Weasley had suddenly stood up when they heard a chair scrape against the floor sharply. 

"But Bill even you said that its so powerful that it almost captured you! You wouldn't have made it back if you hadn't thought to apparate before it took you completely!" The boys heard the gentle sound of Bill kissing his mother. 

"Don't worry, Mum. I'll be fine. Send owls to Percy and Charlie though won't you? Just to make sure they're alright. I love you so much Mum." They heard rustling as they assumed Bill held his mother close to him. 

"Say hullo to Dad won't you?" Bill added. 

"You just come home to me. That's all I ask. I want you to write me every week. Understand? And if you miss even ONE week, I'm apparating over there to Egypt and I'll give you a piece of my mind!" Mrs. Weasley said firmly. Bill chuckled softly and hugged his mother again. 

"Okay, Mum. I'll see you. Tell everyone I said good-bye." There was a long silence and the boys thought Bill had disapparated before he spoke again. "I love you, Mum." Then there was silence. All save for Mrs. Weasley's quiet sobbing.

Harry stood still, his legs beginning to ache from standing still for so long. Bill's words were echoing in his head. _Not safe to stay at home? Safer to go to Hogwarts? This thing killed Martin Wothes? The right hand of You-Know-Who? What is going on? This is unreal. No, no its not Harry. Remember, YOU brought Voldemort back into the land of the living. He's coming._

"Harry, you okay?" Harry blinked out of his stupor to look at Ron. Ron's freckled face was grave as he stared at his friend. "I'm going in to Mum. Fred, George, you go find Ginny and Hermione. From the looks of things they don't need to be out by themselves." Ron said firmly, for once taking charge, and for once the twins obeying him. "Come with me okay, Harry? I don't wanna comfort her alone." Ron said, as he watched Fred and George run off to look for the girls. Harry nodded and the two boys walked into the kitchen.

Mrs. Weasley was sitting at the table alone, a coffee cup in her hand, another lying neglected on the table. She finished writing a letter and giving it to Pigwidgen before she looked up. "

Oh Ron, Bill left, dear. I'm just sending a letter to Percy and Charlie. Hope you don't mind if I use Pig, but Errol is so tired." Mrs. Weasley said with a smile, looking rather tired herself, Harry thought. 

"Sure, Mum. It's no problem." There was a slight pause before Ron leaned closer to his mother. "Mum, is there anything you want me and Harry to do? Anything? Anything at all?" He asked kindly. Mrs. Weasley stared off into space for more than a moment before she looked back to her son, and when she did, there was an unquenchable fire resting there.

"I want you to gather your brothers and sister and tell them that they are to get their things packed so that you can leave for Hogwarts." Confusion registered on Ron's face. 

"But Mum, we don't leave for Hogwarts for a few days yet." The fire in Molly Weasley's eyes grew larger and more intense. "Get ready to go to Hogwarts. You're going tomorrow, even I have to fly you there myself. Harry, you stay with us. Now don't fuss! We'll go back to your home for your things. Ron, you make sure your friend Hermione gets safely home. No, no, I don't want her out. Get her in here, she'll stay with us. That way she can leave with us tomorrow. Ron, don't argue with me!" Mrs. Weasley shouted as Ron began to protest. "I am not going to allow my children, nor anyone else's children to be in danger from You-Know-Who, not while I'm alive. I swear I'll get you to Hogwarts, if its the last thing I do." 

************************************************************************

__

Author's Note: AIEEE!!! Love you all!! *passes out homemade chocolate chip cookies and lemonade* Thanks for all the reviews you guys!! I love ya! I'm so glad that you're giving me input on this, seeing as its my first HP story. I'm just so overjoyed. I live off of reviews you know. Taste like REALLY expensive chocolate. ;-) Hope you're enjoying the story!! Thanks again for all the reviews! Love ya!

T.H.


	5. To Hogwarts

****

CHAPTER 5.

TO HOGWARTS

After several phone calls and explanations and a quick drive to Harry's and Hermione's home to pick up their things, everything was arranged. Somehow Mrs. Weasley had gotten a hold of Albus Dumbledore. 

"Probably by usin' Pig. I knew it looked like there was more than two letters she had." Ron insisted glumly. 

At exactly five o'clock, an owl flew into the Weasley home from Albus Dumbledore, stating that the children would be setting off for Hogwarts the very next day at platform 9 3\4 on the Hogwarts Express, for Albus Dumbledore agreed with Mrs. Weasley in this matter. Mrs. Weasley proudly told the children that Dumbledore had in fact sent out emergency owls to all the students of Hogwarts school, announcing that the date for returning Hogwarts students would not be two days later, but the very next day due to the recent events. Therefore, there was hubbub and mayhem going about in the streets of Diagon Alley. Shops stayed open late for customers who had thought they could squeeze their shopping in the day before returning to Hogwarts. It was certainly a late night for all involved.

After Hermione carefully explained what was going on, her VERY confused parents allowed her to stay with the Weasleys, then go to Hogwarts the next day. 

"Yes Mum. I know it's strange. But I want to get a headstart on my studies. Yes. Yes, I understand Mum. I'll send lots of owls. Yes. I love you too, Mum. Bye, Dad. Love you." Hermione said quietly as she hung up the phone in the kitchen.

She then slumped to the floor, settling her head on her arms. She wore one of Fred's old tee-shirts as well as some of Ginny's sweat-pants, the latter of the two which was much too big for her. Ron and Harry sat in the chairs at the kitchen table, eyeing the hot cocoa that Mrs. Weasley had set in front of them. Slowly, they turned to look at Hermione. Before Mrs. Weasley had called her in, they had told her all they had heard through the use of the "_Ausculto_" spell. To their surprise, she was not terribly shaken by it. 

"Because after all, we don't even know what it is. And if we don't know what something is we shouldn't be afraid of it right?" Ron and Harry weren't so sure about that. But Hermione WAS shaken by the death of the Slytherin, Martin Wothes. "I;ts so unusual. If this, _thing_ whatever it is, is after followers or well, whatever it wants, you'd think that Slytherins would be the first to go help." Hermione murmured.

"What are we gonna do?" Ron murmured. Hermione looked up at him and shrugged. 

"We're doing what we should do. We're going to Hogwarts. Bill is right. Since Professor Dumbledore is there, that is probably the safest place for us, especially if You-Know-Who is involved." Hermione said quietly. The boys nodded. 

"What's unusual is the fact that kids from the other schools are coming to Hogwarts. I mean, really, why Hogwarts?" Harry asked. 

"Because we've got the most powerful wizard in the WORLD! That's why!" Ron said, pounding his fist on the table. Harry and Hermione stared at him. 

"And who would _that_ be?" Hermione asked sweetly. Ron stared at her indignantly. 

"Dumbledore of course!" He said with disgust. 

"He is powerful, but You-Know-Who is more powerful. He's simply the only wizard that You-Know-Who is afraid of. Thats where our security comes from." Hermione said sensibly.

"Oh whatever. I still think he's the most powerful wizard in the world." Ron muttered. 

"Harry, have you told Sirius yet?" Harry stiffened as Hermione asked him the question. He had basically forgotten to tell Sirius. He would want to know if he was alright, if he was affected or anything of the sort. 

"No, I forgot. I'll send him an owl tonight." Harry said stiffly. 

"Can't believe you forgot. He IS your godfather." Hermione said sadly. 

"I know." Harry said quietly. 

"Oh good grief Hermione! Is that all you can do? Nag and whine about everyone else's imperfections? Good grief!" Ron exploded angrily. From her place on the floor, Hermione blanched, then turned red as she firmly looked away, but Harry noticed her small chin trembling slightly.

But Harry didn't have time to admonish Ron, for Ron's face softened visibly. He sighed and slipped down on the floor beside Hermione. She didn't look at him, and she quickly moved away. Ron cast his eyes on the floor. 

"Look Hermione, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for yelling. I'm just worried about this whole thing and, and, I want Mum and Dad to come with us to Hogwarts. I don't want to leave them alone because, because I think that if I do, something awful will happen to them, and I don't know. I'm just worried, thats all. Worried about Bill and Charlie and Mum and Dad and, even Percy. I'm just worried and scared I guess." Hermione slowly turned to face Ron, whose head was now in his hands. Harry was speechless as he watched his friend reduced like this. Never before had Ron openly said what he was feeling, not even to him. Hermione looked at Ron sympathetically and gently put her hand on his back. Ron's head came up, and Harry noticed that it was bright red and the edges of his eyes were wet. Hermione smiled and patted his back gently. 

"It'll be alright. You're parents will make it through alright. They're pretty powerful wizards in their own right. And so are Bill, Charlie and Percy. And we'll be with the most powerful wizard in the world, so we'll all be taken care of." She said with a smile.

Ron slowly returned her smile and nodded slowly. Harry watched them, and was jealous. Even with all their fighting and bickering, Hermione still was able to understand what Ron felt. And Ron could still tell when he'd hurt her. They had each other, such good friends, but Harry felt left out. He slipped to the floor beside Ron and looked at the two of them. They both smiled winningly at him. Now that Hermione had restored Ron to his happy, hopeful self, things seemed almost brighter, for when his friends had hope, they _always_ passed it on to him. 

"It'll be alright Harry. We've always been alright, and we'll be alright this time too." Hermione said simply, smiling gently. Harry returned it and sat back against the wall with his friends, just sitting, just being. 

Harry sat up late that evening, sitting at Ron's writing desk, a piece of blank parchment under his hands, a dormant quill in his fingers. He didn't know what to tell Sirius. He wasn't even sure if he would even receive the letter. Who KNEW where he was. But still, he HAD to tell him. Otherwise, if Sirius came back, he'd wonder why Harry hadn't told him. No, it wouldn't do to not write him. Finally, he started to write.

__

Dear Sirius,

Hello! It's me, Harry. I just wanted to tell you that we're going to Hogwarts early this year. A boy got killed by something, something really terrible. Bill Weasley, Ron's brother, almost got killed by it. It must be really serious too, probably has something to do with Voldemort, because kids from the other schools are coming to Hogwarts. That will certainly be interesting. I don't know if this letter will even reach you, but I certainly hope it does. Don't come out of hiding. Stay where you are so you'll be safe. 

Your godson,

Harry

**************

Albus Dumbledore was as good as his word. The next day, at Platform 9 3\4, the Hogwarts Express arrived exactly on time at 11 o'clock. As usual, the platform was filled with young witches and wizards and their families who came to see them off. Mrs. Weasley kissed Ron, Fred, George extra hard and Mr. Weasley gave them an extra hard handshake. The same went for Ginny, only Mr. Weasley held her tight in his arms before letting her go. Mrs. Weasley would not let Harry go without a hug or a kiss either, and Mr. Weasley wouldn't let him go without a handshake. The same went for Hermione. As Harry stood there on the platform, there was a mixture of envy and love. Envy for the family Ron had, the marvelous parents and siblings, love for Ron's parents that he had almost adopted as his own, even though they never could be the parents he had lost. They all stood by the window and waved frantically at the wizard couple as the train puffed slowly down the tracks, leaving them behind. 

Ron sat down in the seat with a sigh, saying nothing. Hermione sat beside him and looked through her pockets to make sure she hadn't lost anything. 

"Whatcha thinking Ron?" Harry asked. Ron said nothing, but simply shrugged. Again, that old familiar envy arose in his chest as he watched Ron's still form. Of course Ron had a reason to be uptight. He was worried, but still, Harry _was_ his friend. He should confide in him. One of the twins poked his head into their compartment with a smile. 

"Hey guys! Lee got a girl tarantula over summer break! He's gonna try to make it so that her and Hairy have babies while we're at Hogwarts so it'll drive Filch bonkers! Wanna see?" The aforementioned 'Hairy' was Lee's male tarantula that he had brought with him at Harry's first year of Hogwarts, causing utmost panic among the girls on the train. 

"Nah, we're just gonna stay here." Ron said, waving his hand at his brother. His brother shrugged. 

"Suit yourself." The twin's head ducked back out of the door and shut it.

"Now the only thing we need to make this journey complete is if Draco Malfoy comes in." Ron muttered. As if by magic, (no pun intended), Draco Malfoy stalked into the car, followed closely by his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. Draco's blonde hair shone in the brilliant light filtering into the car, his eyes twinkling with an abnormally bright light. 

"Well if it isn't the Weasel, the Chipmunk, and the," Draco turned to Harry with a smile and a fake bow. "The Celebrity." He finished. Crabbe and Goyle thought for a moment, then chuckled loudly as they finally got the joke. Draco rolled his eyes at their slowness, but didn't bother with them. 

Draco bent down towards Harry and as he did, Harry's scar began to pain him terribly. He quickly put his hand over it to pretend like he was scratching it, but Malfoy wasn't fooled. 

"Huh, funny how your scar is always hurting. Better get it checked out, Potter." Malfoy almost whispered. Their faces were barely a few inches apart and they simply stared at each other. 

__

Harry! James, what about Harry?

Lily! Get Harry and get out of here!

I won't leave you!

Go!

The voices Harry knew as his parents' echoed loudly around the car, making Harry jump, but as far as he could tell, Hermione, Ron, Crabbe and Goyle did not hear it. Draco on the other hand,....... It was hard to tell. The Slytherin boy merely smiled and straightened. 

"Like I said Potter, better get it checked out. Oh, and Weasley, looks like you fell in your Mum's carrot juice again. You wanna stay out of that, you know?" Hermione's hand quickly flashed out and grabbed Ron's arm as he tried to spring from his seat. Draco merely laughed loudly as he kicked at Crabbe and Goyle's shins, forcing them out the door. "Better get your head looked at, Potter, otherwise it'll be more than your head you'll need looking after." Draco laughed as he slammed the door shut. Ron glared menacingly at the door. 

"I really hate him. I do." He muttered. Harry stared out the door, watching as Draco knocked a girl's parcel to the ground then stepped on it. He heard the crack of glass, then the cry of the girl as she fell to the ground, opening the parcel, seeing the shattered glass of her grandmother's vase, shattered glass, _glass_. Harry's eyes squinted as if trying to see something, for indeed he _did_ see something. It was eyes, mirrored on the back of the seat across from him. They were wide open and intense, the only thing that he could see. They held his attention and he slowly leaned forward, but as he did, they disappeared. The sounds of the car continued, the crying of the girl sounding above them all. Ron looked at him curiously. 

"You alright?" He asked. Harry got to his feet and nodded as he opened the car door. 

"Just fine." He said.

He sighed as he stepped out of the car, then looked down the way where a crowd was gathering. In the center of them was a small girl sitting on the ground beside a large bit of brown paper. Inside it was shattered glass, all that remained of an elegant crystal vase. 

"Oh why did you bring it, Jessica?" A voice cried out, obviously the girl's friend. The girl sniffed between her sobs, giving her enough time to answer, "Because Grandma _said_ I could take it! Said that she got it from her Mama when she went to Hogwarts so it was only right that _I_ should have it! I was supposed to take especial care of it, and NOW look!" The girl began to cry again. A tall red head leaned down towards her. 

"Well you did take especial good care of it. Till Draco Malfoy came along. You can't blame yourself." Fred Weasley said sympathetically. The girl sniffed but didn't speak, just stared at the remnants of the beloved vase. 

Harry bent down beside her. She looked up at him in surprise, her bright blue eyes glistening with shed and unshed tears. 

"It was very special to you wasn't it?" He asked quietly. The little girl nodded. "You know, I can fix it for you if you like." The girl's eyes widened greatly. 

"Really? You can?!" She breathed. Harry laughed. 

"Of course! You're a first year aren't you?" He asked kindly. The girl sniffed again and wiped at the tears under her eyes. 

"_Will_ be, if I can get to Hogwarts in one piece. What's Mudblood mean?" She asked, tilting her innocent face to look up to him. A shudder went through Harry as he glanced up and saw the eyes of Draco Malfoy upon him, glinting evilly. He gritted his teeth and set his resolve firmly. 

"Where'd you hear that?" He asked kindly. 

"You know she heard it from me, Potter." Harry was surprised to see Draco push in through the crowd to stand in front of him.

Harry paid him no heed, but turned back down to the girl, who was nodded. "He called me it. What does it mean?" She asked quietly. 

"Well, it's just a nasty word for calling people who come from Muggle families." The girl's face blanched and she dropped her head. 

"I'm from a Muggle family. So I'm a Mudblood? Is that what they call people like me at Hogwarts?" She asked. 

"Yes it is, because that's all you deserve!" Draco sneered. Harry shook his head, moving the girl's head away from Draco's face. 

"No, it's not. There's no such thing as a Mudblood. If you're in Hogwarts, you're a wizard or a witch, no matter if you're a Muggle, part Muggle, or all wizard or witch. Not everyone calls people like you Mudbloods. Only people like him." Harry said, jerking his head towards Draco. 

"Don't listen to him! He doesn't know anything!" Draco yelled loudly. 

But the girl didn't listen. She simply turned her head to face Harry's, her eyes gazing into his trustingly. 

"Will you fix the vase for me, please? I'll repay you someday if I can." She said hopefully. Harry chuckled and pulled her pigtail gently. 

"You don't need to repay me. I'll do it freely." He said with a smile. 

He turned his face down towards the shattered glass and immediately sat back on his heels. The eyes he had seen in the railroad car were there, amidst the glass, great and blue, staring at him with that strange open gaze. The eyes glinted, then raised upwards, then down again, upwards, then down again before they finally disappeared. Harry shook his head and blinked several times before he finally raised his wand. 

"What's the matter, Potter? Forget that simple spell?" Draco jeered. Harry closed his eyes, removed his wand, then waved it over the glass. 

"_URNUS REPARO_!" Instantly, the crystal pieces came back together in their natural figure. The girl clapped her hands excitedly, then quickly reached out and before Harry could react, she had put her small hands around his neck, hugging him tightly, then gave him a huge kiss on his cheek. 

"Thank you so much." She whispered before letting him go. 

Harry blushed, then stood waveringly to his feet. The little girl's friend surrounded her as they 'ooed' and 'ahhed' over the beautiful crystal vase. Harry's gaze met Malfoy's and the two colors clashed, gray and green. But there was something in Malfoy's eyes that Harry couldn't understand. It looked like defeat, but didn't. It looked like envy, but it wasn't. It was something else. It was only partially there, not completely there, just barely glinting under the cold surface of his gray eyes: _wishing, wishing he could be like him._

But the look was gone, replaced instead by the old emotion, hate, that ruled Draco Malfoy so strongly. He scoffed and turned away, snapping his fingers so that Crabbe and Goyle fell into line behind him. As they walked away, Harry stared after them. He had felt it again, that pain in his scar. He couldn't explain it, and that was what was strange. Whenever Malfoy was around, it pained him. And now the eyes. He had seen those eyes before, but hadn't. He didn't understand. 

__

Perhaps, you don't want to understand. The thought entered his mind, but Harry knew that he hadn't spoken it. It had been spoken by someone else, someone else in the railroad car. He turned around and jumped as he saw Hermione standing in front of him. 

"Better get your robes on Harry. We're going to be at Hogwarts in a few minutes." She said. Harry nodded slowly, then turned back to look into the depths of the car, hoping perhaps to see the answer in front of him. But it didn't come. 

A swell of joy hit Harry as he stepped out of the train and saw his old friend Hagrid standing on the platform. Hagrid beamed at him from his spot at the front of the group as he called the first years to stand behind him and follow him. But there was something else in Hagrid's dark eyes. Fear? Harry wasn't sure. 

__

I don't seem to be sure about a lot of things these days. Harry thought to himself as he climbed in a carriage beside Ron and Hermione. 

They arrived safely in the castle without incident, although Fred and George did try to tip carriages over several times while pretending that the magic in the carriages was faulty. This also caused their carriage-mates Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson to cry out and smack them repeatedly, while Lee Jordan in another carriage laughed hysterically. But they weren't successful in getting the carriage to tip, much to the girls' relief.

Harry smiled and breathed the air in with satisfaction as he entered the Dining Hall of Hogwarts. The exquisite and mouth-watering smells tingled his nostrils as he simply imagined the delicacies that would soon be laid before them. But first came the Sorting Ceremonies. He, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny all sat down at the Gryffindor table, impatiently waiting for the Sorting Ceremonies to start. Harry always thought that this was the most exciting, watching as new children entered into new houses. He glanced at the head table where the teachers sat. There was Professor McGonagall, watching over the crowd with a stern eye, Professor Snape at Professor Dumbledore's side, also watching over them, but with an eye to find trouble and to make it, for that was his specialty it seemed to Harry. 

__

He'd do anything to get me in trouble. Even if it was at the Opening Ceremonies. Harry thought regretfully.

He came out of his thoughts though as Hermione gasped loudly. Harry and Ron both looked at what she stared at. Two lines of children were entering the Hall as they always did, but instead of all first years, there were several older children, some who were teenagers even. Fred and George eyed them with surprise. 

"What's this all about?" Fred murmured. 

"Of course! It's the children from the other schools who've come to Hogwarts." Hermione said knowledgeably, coming out of her state of surprise. The Sorting Hat was set on the stool and Professor McGonagall stepped forth with an exceedingly long list in her hands. But she did not begin to speak. Instead she looked to Dumbledore, who rose from his seat, raising his hands for silence. 

"Welcome fellow students! Those of you from the past, and those of you who shall be the future! This year things will be running slightly differently, for we have with us several friends from our fellow schools of witchcraft and wizardry joining us for the rest of their schooling. Therefore, they must be sorted into their houses. I suppose you have guessed that already, but humor an old man." Dumbledore said with a wry smile, causing a few chuckles and several smiles. "Therefore, we welcome you fellow students and we hope that you will be at home here with us at Hogwarts! Sorting Hat! Proceed!" Dumbledore said, waving at the hat. 

The Sorting Hat unrumpled and stiffened, working the creases of the hat that looked very much like a mouth. When Harry turned around, he noticed with a smile that several of the new students were staring in awe at it as it moved, then prepared to sing.

__

WELCOME TO HOGWARTS!

ONE AND ALL!

ALL ARE WELCOME,

TO COME FORTH INTO OUR HALL!

FOR I AM THE SORTING HAT,

THE SORTING HAT AM I!

AND I SHALL SORT YOU AS I WISH,

INTO THE HOUSE IN WHICH YOU WILL FIT.

PERHAPS YOU FANCY RAVENCLAW,

IF YOUR MIND IS QUITE ADEPT.

OR PERHAPS HUFFLEPUFF,

WHERE YOUR HEART IS RULED BY HOPE AND LOVE.

OR PERHAPS YOUR HEART LIES IN SLYTHERIN,

WHERE CLEVERNESS AND SLY WAYS ABOUND.

BUT THEN AGAIN PERHAPS YOU'RE FITTED FOR A DIFFERENT CROWN.

IT'S GRYFFINDOR THATS LEFT MY FRIENDS,

WHERE SEVERAL GREATS HAVE SAT.

COURAGE, HONOR, FRIENDSHIP, GLORY!

THATS WHAT YOU'LL FIND IN THIS STORY!

SO COME AND PUT ME ON!

I PROMISE I WON'T BITE!

SO DON'T PUT UP A FIGHT AND SOON WE SHALL SEE,

WHERE YOU SHALL BE!

There was loud cheering all throughout the Dining Hall as the students broke out in cheers and laughter at the utter glory of it. Professor McGonagall waved her hands for silence and called up the first child.

"AOLE, HENRIETTA!"

The children waited breathlessly for the sorting to be proclaimed. 

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuff table quickly exploded into cheers as the new girl rushed to her table. Fred scoffed. 

"Even _I_ could have guessed _that_. With a name like _that_, it was obvious." He said. 

"Well then, guess the next one." Ron challenged. Fred turned and took a good look at the boy running up to the Sorting Hat.

"I'm saying Ravenclaw." Fred said, crossing his fingers. 

"RAVENCLAW!" 

Cheers erupted from the Ravenclaw table as the boy streaked down to them and plopped down in his seat. Those of the Gryffindor table stared at Fred in surprise. He grinned and threw his hands out. 

"What can I say? I'm just a lucky guy." He chuckled. Harry suddenly waved his hands as he saw the little girl he had helped on the train, become next in line. 

"FAWNWEB, JESSICA!"

The girl nervously slipped one of her golden ringlets behind her ears as she sat down on the chair and the hat was set on her ears. Harry watched breathlessly as she sat there with the hat on her head. Finally the hat called out,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table cheered loudly and Fred and George tossed their hats in the air. 

"The first Gryffindor of the evening!" George cheered loudly. The little girl rushed to the table and stood off to the side shyly. 

"Oh come sit by me! I'm Hermione!" Hermione said kindly, extending her hand out to the little girl. Jessica quickly took her hand and sat down beside her, smiling shyly at Harry and the others. 

"You get your vase here alright?" Harry asked kindly. The little girl smiled appreciatively. 

"Oh yes! Mister Hagrid took it for me and said that he'd get someone to put it in my room as soon as I was given my house." She said excitedly. 

"Hey Hermione, he probably asked a _house-elf_ to do it." Ron said pointedly, a grin on his freckled face. Hermione sniffed and stuck her nose in the air. 

"Most likely _Mister_ Weasley." Ron just grinned and turned away to look at the next person in line.

Harry eyed Fred and George as they stared at the next person in line. It was a girl, tall and almost regal in appearance. Her shimmering blonde hair, stretched long down her back, half of it tied back in a braid that rested on the remaining strands of hair, a few stray bangs falling in her intense eyes. Her hands were at her side, but her fingers ran over and around each other nervously as she waited her turn. 

"THORNSHADOW, ARTEMIS!"

The girl stepped forward and George groaned loudly. 

"What?" Ron asked as the girl stepped up to the hat. 

"She's gonna go to Slytherin for _sure_ with a name like THAT!" George moaned. 

"Is that a bad thing?" Hermione asked. Both Fred and George turned on her, staring at her in disbelief. 

"Of course it is. LOOK at her! She's got the build for Quidditch, and an eye for," The twins grinned at each other. "Mischief." They said together. 

"Oh please." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. It seemed to take forever for the sorting to finish, but finally, at long last the house was called out.

"GRYFFINDOR!!"

Fred and George nearly fell from their seats as the girl leapt up happily, her gray-green eyes flashing triumphantly as she made her way over to the Gryffindor table. Harry stared at Fred and George as they waved excitedly towards her. 

"Good grief! You look like you're flagging down a train! Now STOP! You're embarassing me!" Ron muttered as the girl approached. She stopped hesitantly, then grinned. 

"You want me to sit with you or what?" She asked shyly. The twins grinned, but for once couldn't think of anything to say and instead pointed to the spot between them. The girl laughed merrily and shook her head. 

"Don't think so. I think I'd get dizzy sitting between you two. Wouldn't know which is which. No, I'll sit at the head. That way no one gets jealous." She said with a smile, pulling a chair to the head of the table and plopping down in it, her black robes billowing around her lean figure.

The girl glanced at Harry, her gray-green eyes twinkling and she quickly extended her hand. 

"Artemis Thornshadow." She said kindly. Harry took a deep breath, preparing for the girl's reaction to his identity and extended his hand. 

"Harry Potter." He said quickly. Artemis smiled and nodded. 

"Yeah, I noticed your scar. It's a real pleasure to meet you. Saw you in the Tri-Wizard Cup last year. Wicked moves when you went against the dragon! Wish _I_ had been old enough to get picked." She said enviously. Harry blushed a deep red and shrugged. 

"Oh it was nothing." Artemis laughed. 

"Only the humble say stuff like that." She said, shaking her head. Ron coughed and extended his hand towards Artemis, who gladly took it. 

"My name's Ron Weasley. That's my sister Ginny down there," pointing down the table at his sister, "And these are my brothers Fred and George." He said, rolling his eyes as Fred and George stuck their hands out at the same time. She grinned and after she shook Ron's hand, she stuck out both her hands and shook the twins' hands at the same time. The twins' faces lit up like lamps as they shook hands. 

"A real pleasure!" Fred said happily. 

"Welcome to Gryffindor!" George finished. Hermione stuck her hand out across the table and Artemis gladly took it. 

"I'm Hermione Granger. It's nice to meet you. How are you doing in your studies?" Ron let loose a loud groan and thrust his head into his hands. Artemis smothered a chuckle as she turned to Hermione seriously. 

"Well, pretty well. I've come from Durmstrang, so," Artemis didn't have time to finish for she was interrupted by a exclamations from the twins. 

"Durmstrang! Really?" Fred yelled. 

"Where is it? Do you use an invisibility spell or something?" George jumped in. 

"Is it in a cave?" Ron asked. 

"Or under the sea?" Fred asked. Artemis chuckled and waved her hands at the Weasley boys. 

"Slow down! I can't tell you where it is because its a _secret_." She said with a smile. The boys' faces fell and they shook their heads. 

"Thought you were gonna help us, Artie." Fred said dismally. 

"Yeah, an' tell us everything 'bout where you live during summer vacations." George said. 

"Artie." Artemis muttered under her breath before looking at the twins downcast heads with a sympathetic smile. 

"Well I _can_ tell you where I live during summer vacations." She said enticingly. The twins' heads immediately popped back up again, renewed vigor echoing in their faces. 

"Really?" Fred yelled. 

"Do tell!" George called. 

"I've lived everywhere actually. I was born in England, but my parents move around quite a lot, so currently we live in Bulgaria for summer," This time it was not Fred or George who interrupted Artemis, but Hermione, who blushed red as she did so, for she knew she was breaking one of her most cherished rules of etiquette. 

"Do you know Viktor Krum?" She burst out. Ron let out another groan that was slightly muffled from his hands. Artemis chuckled at Ron and smiled at Hermione. 

"Oh yeah I know Viktor. He's a nice guy." Suddenly Artemis frowned. 

"You aren't by any chance Hermione Granger, are you?" She asked. Hermione's head bobbed emphatically. 

"Huh! That's funny. The one and only Hermi-own-ninny huh? Yeah, Viktor talked about you alot. Liked you, he said. You guys a couple or what?" Artemis asked slyly. Hermione shook her head, but blushed crimson. 

"Oh no! We're not a couple, he asked me to the ball here, but," Ron gave a snort that startled everyone. 

"Oh yeah! Just asked her to the ball, followed her around, asked her to come visit him in Bulgaria! Yeah, _they're not a couple_!" He bellowed angrily. Hermione stared at him in shock. 

"RON!" She yelled. 

"Okay, okay! Sorry I said anything! Sheesh." Artemis said, waving her hands in front of the two teenagers. 

"You've gotta watch what you say around Hermione and Ron." Fred said. 

"Yep, you say the wrong thing, an' it's playing with fire you are." George said meaningfully, winking at Artemis. Artemis sat back in her seat and grinned at the twins knowingly. Just then, Ron gulped and glanced up at Artemis, his ears suddenly very red. 

"Are you, well, since you're from Durmstrang, well, not that THAT has anything to do with ANYTHING, but are you, well, part-veela?" Ron blurted out. Harry stifled the chuckle that rose to his lips, remembering Ron's few but disasterous meetings with Fleur Delacour, the half-veela. But Artemis didn't laugh at Ron. Simply smiled and shook her head. 

"Nope! Don't worry! Not even related to a veela. There are some here though." She crinkled up her nose and frowned. 

"So steer clear. I don't like veelas. Too tricky. So I'm certainly glad that _I'm_ not part of the species." She said ruefully, glancing at two girls who HAD to be veelas, who now had the others' friend, Seamus Finnigan, in their grasp. Harry smiled as he took her figure in. He could get used to having her around. She was like the twins in their sense of humor and it even seemed that she could pull a few pranks of her own if she got the chance. Yes, she would fit in quite nicely.

The last name was called out and Professor McGonagall sat down beside Professor Dumbledore, who stood from his seat. 

"Quiet please! Quiet. Its almost time for our food to be set before us. But before that happens, there shall be a change in the schedule for Hogwarts classes and teachers. Now don't worry! Its nothing cataclysmic! And for those of you who are new, you're lucky, for you won't notice the change at all!" Dumbledore said, casting a smile upon the newcomers of the congregation. Then he clapped his hands and shouted, "_VENIO!!_" 

Instantly, papers fell down upon the students seemingly from the ceiling. The students caught them and began to read them, noticing with delight that the dinner was on the table. As they dug into their food, they read over the new schedule. Artemis grabbed a handful of salted peanuts and shoved them in her mouth as she eyed the schedule critically. 

"Oh gory. I'm terrible at Herbology. I'll never make it." She muttered. 

"Don't worry! You ever need help, ask Hermione! She might be young, but she's got all the answers." Fred said generously, making Hermione blush. Artemis grinned at Hermione and looked back down at her paper. 

"But at least you DO have D.A.D.A. At least I'll fit in SOMEWHERE." She muttered. 

"Oh don't worry Artie! You'll fit in everywhere!" Fred said kindly.

"By the way, what year _are_ you in?" Harry asked. Artemis glanced up at him from her paper. 

"Oh, fifth. Sorry, should have told you that before." Instantly, sad looks were given to her from Fred and George. 

"What?" She asked. Fred sadly put his hand on hers sympathetically. 

"This is our seventh year." He said sadly. 

"We'll be leaving after this year!" George acceded. Artemis shrugged. 

"So what? We'll have plenty of fun before the year's out." Fred and George brightened and grinned at each other as they glanced down at their sheets. Suddenly there was a loud outburst from Ron as he stared at his sheet, bugeyed. 

"What is it, Ron?" Hermione gasped, surprised at his yell. 

"Yeah Ron, what," Before Harry could finish, Ron's finger stabbed at a certain spot on his paper. 

"Unbelieveable! I can't believe it!" Ron said excitedly. 

"That's usually what 'unbelieveable' means, yes." Hermione said sarcastically. Ron shot her a nasty look then shook his head in surprise. 

"What are you caterwauling about?" George asked him. Ron quickly pointed to a certain spot on the twins' sheet of paper. Soon the twins were exclaiming as loud as Ron had been. 

"Wicked!!" Fred said excitedly. 

"How great! Our last year and we get a GREAT Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" George said. Harry frowned and looked down at the listing for the teacher under the D.A.D.A. catagory. It read,

__

Defense Against the Dark Arts: Professor Rhiannon Flutterae

"Can't believe this." Ron murmured happily. 

"Fred! George! Ron! Did you see?" Ginny exclaimed as she rushed up to her brothers, waving the sheet. 

"Yeah Gin! We saw! Isn't it great?" George asked her. 

"Bloody great!" She concurred, eyeing her sheet happily. Artemis threw her hands in the air. 

"Okay! I give up! You wanna let us in on the joke?" She asked sarcastically. 

"Yeah no kiddin', Ron." Harry said, turning to his friend. Ron finally moved his eyes away from the paper and sighed. 

"Rhiannon Flutterae is an old friend of our family." He said. 

"Yeah, she's the same age as our brother Bill. Twenty-four." George explained. 

"And she's really nice and a bully teacher, I've heard! We haven't seen her in such a long time. Imagine what old Bill would think if we told him that Rhia was teaching at Hogwarts!" Fred said excitedly. 

"And D.A.D.A. no less!" George finished. 

"At last, we'll be getting TONS of points for Gryffindor." Ron said dreamily. 

"How can you be so sure about that?" Hermione asked. 

"Because she was a Gryffindor of course!" Ron exclaimed. 

"Yeah and I can guarantee you that she'll give us back all the points that Snape takes away, guarantee it!" Fred said, pounding his fist on the table.

"Oh Snape doesn't like Gryffindor huh?" Artemis interjected. All the heads around her shook emphatically. 

"No way! He HATES Gryffindor. He's in charge of Slytherin House. He hates our _guts_." Ron said seriously. 

"Oh. Didn't know it was that bad." Artemis said with a wry smile. 

"Hey Freds, remember when Rhia and Bill put dragon dung in Charlie's vocation potion?" George asked with a twinkle in his eye. 

"Oh yeah! And then after that he decided to work with dragons!" Fred chuckled. 

"'Member last time we saw her, you whined to her about how we turned your teddy-bear into a spider and then you and Rhia slipped a potion into all of our Canary Cremes and told us to try it because you had '_improved_' them? And then it turned us into spiders rather than canaries?" George laughed loudly. Ron drew himself up proudly at the memory. 

"Oh yeah! That was my payback!" He said proudly. 

"Well if she's supposed to be teaching, then why isn't she here?" Fred asked with a frown, looking at the teachers at the head table. As if on cue, Dumbledore stood when the chattering had died down and clapped his hands. 

"You shall have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher yes, but she was detained because of the sudden change of dates. Therefore she shall be here tomorrow morning, in time for all your lessons." After he said this, Dumbledore sat down.

Ron looked at the table and shook his head. 

"Man, old Snape's got it bad eh?" He asked, turning to his brothers, who shook their heads. 

"Whaddya mean? Just because Snape didn't get the job again?" Harry asked. 

"Oh it's not just that. Rhia was his best student in Potions!" Ron explained. 

"_One_ of his best, besides a few others. But he didn't make her a pet like he makes Malfoy because she was in Gryffindor. Wouldn't do if he cooed all over her." George added. 

"But he's still got respect for her. A grudging respect, but respect none the less." Fred finished. Suddenly Artemis laughed loudly. 

"You all are going to have to fill me in on all the teachers because it sounds like I don't know everything I should!" She said, her gray-green eyes winking in the light. Enthusiastically, the people surrounding her filled her in on Snape, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and every teacher and incident that they felt worth mentioning, and before the night was out, Artemis Thornshadow was _very_ well informed on the goings on at Hogwarts. That night before Harry slipped into sleep, Ron murmured quietly, 

"Can't wait for D.A.D.A. tomorrow. Its gonna," There was a long yawn, then he finished, "Be a blast." Then there was silence in the room as Ron and Harry both fell fast asleep.

************************************************************************

__

Author's Note: Heh-heh. Crud, Fred and George have a friend. Oh......dear... what have I done? :-) Oooohhhh, sometimes I just wanna smack Malfoy in the face. But I think thats a universal thing. :-) *sigh* I love Fred and George and all the Wheezies. :-) Heh-heh, if you guys have read my LOTR story, you know where Artemis' name came from. I couldn't help it. Its such a cool name to only be used once. :-) OOHHHHH!!! THANK YOU!! YOU GUYS ROCK!!! Thanks for all your reviews. Keep readin' and reviewin'!!! Reviews taste like chocolate. Really EXPENSIVE dark chocolate. Did you know that? Now you know. You can have some too!! *breaks off EXPENSIVE dark chocolate for loyal reviewers and passes it out* You can have more too!! Luv ya!

****

Kora: Thanks luv! I know that you're not TERRIBLY fond of Harry Potter, but THANK YOU for all your reviews! Love you! I love your input! You're such a loyal fan and good buddy!!! ;-)

****

Sara Minks: Oh you're most welcome for the reviews! Your stories were really good! Keep writing! Thanx for reviewing this story! Its awfully nice of you! Luv ya!

****

Weezy_84: Thanx for the review! I'll try to update as much as I can and I can only pray that you can find it again!! ;-)

: Thanx for the reviews! :-) I like Ron and Hermione's bickering too. Its endearing, *wink, wink* Keep readin'!!

****

VyingQuill: Gosh, what a cool name!! I just had to say that! I think its just the awesomest name ever!! Yeah, I know awesomest probably isn't a word, but what the heck!! :-) Thanx for your reviews! *blushes* Oh thanks! Oh yes, it IS for the worst, although accidentally knocking out their brother doesn't seem beyond Fred and George, does it? :-) Keep readin' and reviewin'!

****

Iris: GGGGAAAAHHHHH!!!!!! IRIS, LUV!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN????!!!!! I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!! I'm so glad you're reading this!! You don't know how much I love your input! *sniffle* Thought you forgot about me. You know whats funny? You've been a reviewer of mine since I started. AAAAWWW!!! I'M GONNA CRY!! :-) Love ya and I hope you can find this again! Well you can always go to my author name I guess. *shrugs* Heh-heh, I love Fred and George too. They rock. They're like my favorites. *sigh* I love my Wheezies. :-) Heh-heh. Yep, Ron and Hermione= TWUE WUV!! you've got a VERY good point. Draco IS VERY hot!! Don't worry, there's TONS of him. :-) NEVER mess with a protective mother!! Something to take to heart. Its good to have you back, luv!! 


	6. Teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts

****

CHAPTER 6.

TEACHER OF DEFENSE 

AGAINST THE DARK ARTS

The next day saw Harry with a terrible knot in his stomach over the coming D.A.D.A. classes. He didn't know why. 

__

Perhaps its because of who I am. I HATE it when people, especially teachers treat me like I'm SO special in front of everybody. I mean, I AM special because I survived Voldemort's attack, but still. I AM a normal human being, well a normal wizard anyway, exempting that small incident. Harry thought ruefully as he slowly moved his spoon around in his porridge. The others on the other hand had no qualms at all. 

"I can't wait for Transfiguration! It's so interesting." Artemis said happily as she shoveled down her food. 

"I wish I could skip Potions. But we both know that _that_ isn't possible." Ron muttered. 

"I can't wait for ALL my classes to begin! I'm so excited!" Hermione said eagerly. 

"I can't wait for D.A.D.A. Thats all I've got to say. What about you Freds?" George asked his twin as he settled down in a chair. 

"Me either! Can't wait! Its gonna be SO excitin'!" Fred agreed. 

Ron looked up and eyed the nervous look on Harry's face as he toyed with his food. He leaned over and whispered, "Don't worry Harry. She's not like some teachers. She's not gonna make a teacher's pet out of you just because of who you are. She doesn't believe in that sort of thing." Harry frowned. 

"What sort of thing?" Ron shrugged and smiled. 

"Celebrities. She doesn't believe in picking favorites. She'll treat you like a normal person in her classroom, just so long as you give her respect. It'll be alright Harry. She'll take care of you. Fred wasn't kiddin' when he said that she'll give Gryffindor back all the points that Snape takes away. Why do you think her class is after Snape's?" Ron asked, a slow grin spreading over his face. That got a smile out of Harry and he slowly spooned a little bit of the porridge in his mouth, much to Ron's pleasure. "It'll be alright Harry." He whispered before getting into another debate with Hermione about house-elf rights.

Professor Dumbledore was accurate when he said that the schedules had been changed quite a bit. First came Herbology with Professor Sprout, then Professor Trelawney's class in Divination. Harry, Ron and Artemis waved good-bye to a stony Hermione as they stepped into the grate of the Divination school-room. 

"Why doesn't she take this class?" Artemis whispered in Harry's ear as they climbed the staircase. 

"She doesn't really believe in it. Thinks Professor Trelawney's a phony." Harry said quickly. 

"And I'm likely to agree with her." Ron muttered as they were greeted by the airy voice of Professor Trelawney.

After the class, they all took a deep breath of fresh air as they emerged from the smoky classroom. 

"Good grief! We have to take her class every day?" Artemis gasped as she breathed the air. 

"Yep." Harry and Ron said grimly. 

"How are we supposed to do the assignments? I didn't see anything in those tea-leaves!" She moaned. 

"Do what me and Harry do and make stuff up. The wilder the better." Ron advised. 

"Artie!" Artemis frowned at the shortening of her name, but she smiled as she saw Fred and George run towards them, robes billowing. 

"Hey! Just wanted to say hullo! How're things going? Alright?" Fred asked breathlessly. 

"Alright. Don't know if I'm gonna get used to Professor Trelawney though." Artemis said, pushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ears. 

"Oh you will! Just make up nonsense to please her and you'll pass!" George said with a smile. 

"Speaking of which, we've gotta go! Got Snape right about now." Fred said, rolling his eyes. 

"Good luck." Harry said. 

"Try not to lose points for Gryffindor won't you?" Ron said sharply. His brothers ignored his tone and instead laughed. 

"Of course! We NEVER lose points, do we Freds?" George asked, punching his brother playfully. 

"Never, George. Well, see you!" Fred said, grabbing his brother's arm and dragging him away.

The rest of the classes passed quickly by, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, which Artemis especially enjoyed, finding herself a natural with animals, Lunch, then Charms, History of Magic, and several other classes. At last, there was but one class left besides the long awaited Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and that was Potions. Harry shuddered as he stepped into the dungeon classroom and took a seat beside Ron. Hermione and Artemis quickly sat by each other so they would not be left alone. Then they took out their quills and paper and waited for Snape to turn around and begin the lesson. The time when the lesson was supposed to begin came, and passed slowly by, but still Snape did not move. Soon there was a quiet shuffling as someone slipped into the room. 

"Mister Longbottom." The cool voice echoed throughout the dungeon, reverberating off the stone walls. The children started at the sudden voice, then turned around to see Neville standing at the back of the room, his hands cupped over each other. Harry stifled a groan. 

"Why are you late, Mister Longbottom?" Snape slowly turned around, fixing his hypnotic brown eyes upon the boy. The boy stared at him meekly, then took a deep breath and began to speak softly. 

"Well sir I," He started. 

"Speak up!" Snape snapped. Neville jumped, closed his eyes and began again. 

"Well Professor Snape, my, my toad got away and I got lost and I," 

"You got lost? You're a fifth year in Hogwarts and you GOT LOST?" Snape demanded.

Neville closed his eyes tight, probably wishing, Harry thought, that it was only a dream. But it was no dream. Snape's lip curled disdainfully as he eyed the boy. 

"Ten points from Gryffindor, and let that be a lesson to the rest of you that you will always, _always_ be on time in MY class." Snape said, turning back around to begin the lesson. 

"Professor Snape, that's not really fair!" Harry's neck practically snapped as he whirled around to face the rebel. Artemis sat at her seat, neck erect, face red, her eyes flashing. Snape slowly turned back around, fixing his dark gaze upon the girl. 

"Stand up." He said quietly. Artemis stood up angrily, standing beside her desk, her eyes flashing angrily. 

"You defy my authority do you?" 

"No Professor, only regret the way you're treating your students."

"It is my right to teach and punish my students as I see fit."

"Oh I see. Even if its not RIGHT?"

"Ten points from Gryffindor." 

"Who cares! Its not fair! Neville couldn't help it that his toad ran away!"

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor!" 

"He couldn't help it and you shouldn't punish him because of that!"

"Twenty points from Gryffindor!"

Snape's dark eyes flashed angrily as he strode past the numerous desks to stand in front of Artemis. They glared at each other for a long time before Snape spoke again. 

"Thats forty-five points from Gryffindor, Miss Thornshadow. Add that to Longbottom's ten and you've got a royal fifty-five points, now do you really want to go any farther on your first day?" Snape asked, his tone thoroughly disgusted. Artemis said nothing, but plopped down in her seat, her eyes still on fire. Snape shrugged his shoulders and walked down the aisle, saying aloud as he did so, "Well this certainly IS a change of events. For once Potter and Weasley haven't caused any loss of points from Gryffindor." 

There was a loud sniggering from the Slytherins in the crowd. Draco chuckled and kissed the air in Artemis' direction. Artemis would have responded in kind with a crude hand gesture, but Hermione's hand quickly came down upon it before she could do it.

After the class, Artemis stormed out of the classroom angrily, followed by Harry, Ron and Hermione. During the course of the class, due to a few forgotten notes and questions unable to be answered, Gryffindor had lost twenty more points, Slytherin zero. 

"Can't believe what a bloody _git_ he is!" Artemis muttered angrily. 

"Told you. He's a pain in the you know where." Ron said sadly. 

"I hate him SO badly!" Artemis seethed. 

"He's not worth getting angry over, really. There's nothing we can do about him." Hermione said kindly. 

"Oh there's something I can do. I'll just have to wait. I'll just wait." She seethed. Harry and Ron both glanced at each other and shrugged. 

"Well at least D.A.D.A. is next." Harry said with a sigh, shouldering his bag. Ron's face lit up. 

"Yes! I've been waiting all day for this!" He said excitedly.

They walked into the familiar classroom and sat down in the seats they desired, Harry beside Ron, Artemis beside Hermione. 

"Hey Potter! Maybe she'll teach us about boggarts again! After all, we ALL know what _you're_ afraid of!" Draco yelled from across the room. Instantly, several of the Slytherin began making ghost sounds. 'Boo's' echoed around the room, and Harry rolled his eyes. 

"Dementors don't make sound you freaks." Ron muttered under his breath. 

"Don't worry about it Harry. We're afraid of Dementors too. I think Malfoy is as well. Everyone is. There's nothing funny about Dementors." Hermione whispered, putting her hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry nodded wordlessly, ignoring Draco's hoots. 

"Yeah, Harry. I think they're pretty creepy myself. We had them second year. Bloody frightening, especially if you don't move fast enough," Artemis agreed, nodding sympathetically. "But if you've got a good Patronus, you'll be fine." She said with a smile. Harry returned it and turned questioningly to Hermione. 

"She _was_ in Durmstrang, Harry." Hermione said, in response to Harry's silent question. Harry nodded in realization and sat back in his seat to wait for the new teacher.

Suddenly there was silence, save for the slight click of boots upon the stone floors and the swish of robes. Draco sat back in his chair, waiting for the teacher to walk in the room. All students watched the front of the room obediently, waiting for their teacher to appear. But she didn't. Instead there was a loud clap from the doorway. All the heads in the classroom craned to look around behind them. In the doorway stood a slender figure, hands together, face intense. She did not move, but instead studied them all with her eyes. 

She was rather tall, not terribly tall, but about an average height. Her brown-red hair hung in natural curls down the back of her midnight blue robes, her bangs pulled away from her fair face in intricate braids. A few freckles dotted her cheeks and nose, giving her, it seemed to Harry, a younger appearance. She was _very_ young. Never before had they had such a young D.A.D.A. teacher at Hogwarts. But while she looked young, at the same time she looked older than her twenty-four years. This was due to her eyes. Her eyes were intense things, a dark blue which glinted in the candlelight of the classroom. It was those eyes that caused Harry to frown and blink his own green eyes. 

__

I've seen those eyes before. He thought as he eyed her. He heard a contented sigh and he turned to look at Ron, who's smiling freckled face was resting on his hands as he stared dreamily at the teacher. 

Harry didn't have time to comment on this, for the teacher's slender fingers slipped away from each other and moved to their sides as she walked quickly down the aisle made by the desks, speaking crisply as she did so. 

"Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'm Professor Rhiannon Flutterae, pronounced, Flutter-I. Please take note of it and call me by the name that is respectful to me, that is Professor Flutterae, not Rhiannon." Harry noticed with disdain, the derogatory way Draco looked upon the teacher, his arms over his chest, his eyebrows cocked. He noticed before he turned around, the utter awe that was spread over Artemis', Hermione's and Neville's face as they stared at her. As the teacher reached the head of the classroom, she clapped once more and stared at the children with those haunting eyes.

"I must warn you, if you have weak stomachs, paranoid minds, or simply nervous fear, walk out of this classroom right now. For I believe that in order to truly learn something, you must experience it. I understand that you have your fears. They could be ghouls, werewolves, failure of a test, spiders." At that Rhiannon's dark gaze glanced at Ron momentarily, who ducked down in his seat. But there was a slight smile in the corner of her mouth that one could only catch if one was looking at her. Fortunately, Ron caught it and he smiled back. 

The smile disappeared from Rhiannon's face as she continued. "If you have any fear whatsoever of any creatures or beings involved in the Dark Arts, leave this room. Are we quite clear?" Her eyes flitted across the classroom of children. Behind Hermione, Neville gulped loudly. The Professor's eyes flickered to Neville's frightened face, then moved away quickly. One would have barely noticed if she _had_ looked at him, but Harry was watching her very closely. 

__

It's the eyes. What is it with the eyes? He asked himself.

"Well then, Professor, you best tell Longbottom to get out. He can't stand _anything_ and he doesn't even have the guts to walk out of the classroom himself." Draco laughed loudly. 

There was silence save for Crabbe and Goyle's late chuckles. Rhiannon's eyes flicked to Draco's face, clapping those eyes upon him firmly. Harry watched as Draco met her gaze, then watched as it faltered and he scoffed and looked away. Rhiannon continued to stare at him silently, then suddenly she spoke, and her voice was stern. 

"Fifteen points from Slytherin!" She called out loudly. The entire group of Slytherin jumped at her tone, then stared at each other in disbelief. Ron grinned and turned to Harry and whispered, 

"That makes up for when Neville was late." He said, a twinkle in his eye.

"That's not fair! I didn't do anything wrong! Just gave you a bit of advice THAT'S all!" Draco yelled angrily. Rhiannon's steely eyes did not move from the boy's unusually flushed face. 

"On the contrary Mister Malfoy, you degraded the dignity of a fellow student and wizard and that has cost you fifteen points. And I will let you know right now Mister Malfoy that I do not stand for ANY degredation of another person's being on ANY circumstances, be it deserved or not." Malfoy's eyes became flinty and he opened his mouth to protest again. 

"I'll tell my," He started, but was unable to finish. Rhiannon quickly walked in front of his desk, making him jump with the utter agility that she did it. 

"And just on a side note," At this, Rhiannon's eyes became unusually intense as she stared at Draco. "I do NOT care or listen to ANY wealthy, popular fathers who try to get teachers expelled for hurting their, 'poor, little, spoiled, _baby_ boy.' Remember that Mister Malfoy, and watch your tongue." She took her hand off of Draco's desk, eyeing him for a moment before she spoke again. "Ten points from Slytherin for talking back to authority." There was another outburst from Slytherin, but this one was quieter than the other and more subdued.

"Now, a good lesson to start out on would most certainly be a lesson on boggarts. They are most interesting creatures. but as one of your teachers two years back, Professor Lupin, already informed you on the subject, we'll start out with something just as good." Rhiannon paced back and forth a few steps before whirling around and pointing her wand at a box several feet away from Draco's desk. 

"Malfoy! Think fast!" She said quickly. 

The clasp on the box burst open and the whole classroom shrieked as a gray creature slithered from the box, heading straight towards Malfoy. "Now don't be afraid children. That'll only make it worse for it can sense fear." Rhiannon said with a wry smile. Malfoy stared at it, then frowned, pulling his wand from his robes and waving it at the creature. 

"_DISCEDO!_" Draco yelled. But the creature continued to move towards him, its green eyes flashing menacingly.

It crawled up the side of Draco's desk and slithered upon the desktop, directly in front of Malfoy, who was calling out every spell he could think of. But it seemed that every spell made it stronger, larger than before. Harry finally got a good look at the creature as it sat in front of Malfoy on the desktop. It was long and thin, growing larger by the minute. It looked rather like a snake, but with hundreds of tiny legs lining its long body. Its eyes were wide and green, menace in their gaze. Its mouth was small, but Harry could see the glimmer of teeth from the sharp, needle-like fangs that potruded from its mouth. To Harry's surprise, he noticed that Draco had ceased to call out spells and was instead staring at the creature. Then Harry noticed that the creature's green eyes were now vibrating, pulsing rhythmically as they stared at Malfoy.

Slowly but surely, the creature began to creep toward Malfoy's limp hand, but Draco's eyes did not move to follow the creature. His eyes were fixed on the place that the creature _had_ been. Slowly the creature crept up Draco's hand, coiling itself around his arm, and making its way around his chest. Finally, the classroom breathed a sigh of relief as Draco's eyes moved and finally blinked, but they all gasped again as Draco started to yell and writhe. The creature had wrapped itself around Draco's neck and was now squeezing hard. Rhiannon stood still with a small smile on her face, her arms crossed over her chest as she shook her head. 

"Come now Mister Malfoy! Haven't you been studying over the summer? Don't struggle, it only makes it worse and makes him squeeze harder." She called out merrily.

But Draco did not stop. He continued to writhe and yell. The creature slowly began to tighten its grip around the boy's neck, causing Draco's face to turn red. 

"Help! She's trying to kill me! Help!" Draco finally managed to yell out. He repeated this and his comrades made a move to help him, but Rhiannon put up her hand. 

"Let him get through it on his own. Learn through experience is my motto. Come now Draco! I dropped you several hints! DON'T WRITHE AND YELL being one of them!" Rhiannon criticized. 

"Come on! Kill him! Kill him!" Harry spared a moment to turn and stare in horror at Ron before turning back to the scene before him. 

"Oh good grief, 'weakening' spell, you git." Harry heard Artemis mutter. But Draco did not heed her advice and instead continued to yell for help until a shout from the door caused everyone to turn towards it. 

Severus Snape stood in the doorway, staring at Draco with cold eyes. 

"Stop this utter nonsense! NOW!" He yelled angrily. Rhiannon turned her now cold gaze upon Snape, then shrugged, pointed her wand at the creature and yelled, 

"_HEBETO_!" Immediately the creature became limp and slipped from Draco's neck. Rhiannon nonchalantly caused the creature to fly into its box and she secured the latch tightly with her magic. Then she turned to the class. "Now that Mister Malfoy has _failed_ this test of knowledge, can anyone at all tell me what that creature was?" Rhiannon asked. Hermione's hand immediately shot up. Instead of ignoring her like most others, Rhiannon immediately called upon her. 

"It is a costrogo, Professor Flutterae. Native to humid and rainy climates alike. It tends to hide in secluded places far from society. It finds its prey by smelling its victim's fear and then jumps upon it, hypnotizes it, then squeezes it into unconsciousness." Draco rubbed his neck as he winced.

"Exactly right, Miss Granger. Costrogos are also known to swallow their prey whole, only unlike other creatures, it does not digest its prey. You are alive when it eats you, and you are alive for as long as the creature is alive, slowly becoming part of the costrogo's body until you are but a shroud of the human being you once were. Of course, a costrogo usually has a meal like that once every one hundred years, mostly feeding on small animals. The main thing to remember when faced with this creature is to hide your fears. Now can anyone tell me what else the constrogo is used for?" Professor Flutterae looked around the room. Besides Hermione, Artemis Thornshadow raised her hand. The teacher called upon her and the girl answered her quietly. 

"The constrogo has been put to use in hunting, replacing dogs or such creatures as that, and also it was used by the Death Eaters many years ago, used as a torture device for those they plagued." 

Rhiannon cocked her eyebrows, nodded at Artemis, then turned to Professor Snape who still stood in the doorway. 

"Professor Snape, was there something you wanted from me?" She asked simply. Snape strode up to her till they were about eye to eye. He was several feet taller than her, but she still eyed him with determination and firmness. 

"What do you think you're doing? Putting a boy in danger like that. He could have been killed and you would have been held personally responsible." He whispered harshly. Rhiannon chuckled softly and gazed into Snape's dark eyes, which now became uneasy. 

"Please, Professor. You really didn't think that I would let a little thing like a constrogo get out of hand did you? Or were you just afraid that I would 'accidentally' let him choke Malfoy into unconsciousness? Would you be making such a fuss if I had used, for instance, Mister Potter?" Rhiannon cocked her eyebrows as she stared at the Professor. 

Snape drew himself up, but said nothing. "No, Professor. I don't think you would be as concerned, but that's alright. There's no better way for these children to learn than through experience, especially with recent events." She whispered, her tone now more serious, a change from the former lilting tone. Snape nodded knowingly. 

"But do you intend to let your students get that close to unconsciousness or death until they answer the question?" He asked. 

"And do you intend to allow your extremely ill-behaved students get away with things, while taking away far too many points away from the others for doing nothing?" Rhiannon asked pointedly. 

"Now is not the time for this. You know as well as I do that Voldemort," Snape started, but stopped as Rhiannon put up her hand. 

"Not here, not in front of the children. I'll watch my back Professor. You watch yours." She said quietly, eyeing him knowingly. Snape gave her a knowing look then turned around to face the class. 

"Listen to your teacher. Obey her and do as she says, for she knows more than all of you put together." Snape said in his monotone voice before walking out of the room, his foot-falls echoing on the stones. Ron stared at Harry. 

"Did he just defend her?" He whispered. Harry did not move his eyes from Rhiannon but nodded as he watched the Professor watch the Potions Master walk from the room. 

Ron walked up to Rhiannon after class and spoke to her energetically for a moment or two. That was all he had time for before the Professor stood from her desk, her face flushed and gave him a huge hug. Harry smiled then turned around as he heard a sound behind him. Hermione's teeth were set firmly and she was tapping her toe on the ground. Harry smothered a smile and turned back to his friend and teacher. Ron walked over with the Professor and stood in front of Hermione, Harry and Artemis. 

"Rhia, these are my friends. This is Hermione Granger, Artemis Thornshadow and Harry Potter." Rhiannon shook hands with each of them, giving them all winning smiles. 

"Hermione, you don't mind if I call you Hermione, do you? Hermione, you were absolutely fabulous in class today! A perfect example of participation! How often do you study?" Rhiannon asked. Hermione swelled up with pride as she shook the teacher's hand excitedly. 

"Very often. As often as I can!" She said. 

"Do me a favor." Hermione nodded, listening for what Rhiannon would say. 

"Don't study as much." A confused look registered over Hermione's face as she eyed her teacher. 

"You are such a smart girl, but you _are_ a girl and you need a little free time. Don't fry your brain before you're old Hermione. Have a little fun. But that doesn't mean forget your studies altogether. Just live a little." She said with a kind smile, to which Hermione responded with a smile of her own. 

"Alright then." She said firmly. 

"Geez, Hermione! Thats what I've been telling you for years, but you don't listen to ME!" Ron protested. 

"That's because _you're_ not my teacher." Hermione responded cooly, to which Ron just shrugged. 

"Artemis, your theories were fabulous! You've adapted very well for just coming from a completely different school!" Rhiannon said enthusiastically. Artemis blushed red and shrugged. 

"My teachers at school said that theories were my strong point." She said modestly. 

"Yes, I can see that. So, Harry Potter. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard quite a lot about you as well." Harry chuckled nervously as he eyed a certain unusual glint that looked out of place in her dark eyes. 

"Good things I hope?" He said. Rhiannon smiled and squeezed his hand as she shook it. 

"Oh yes. Many good things." 

__

The eyes. What is with the eyes? Harry screamed inwardly. Indeed there was something_ with_ the eyes, for he could not move from their gaze. He felt paralyzed by them, but his friends weren't even noticing. They were simply smiling proudly. But as soon as the feeling had come, it went and she was merely shaking his hand and smiling kindly. 

"It's a pleasure to know that you're Ron's friend. And I'm glad that you're in my class." She said gratefully.

A loud double yell exploded from the doorway and the group inside turned around. A huge grin spread over Rhiannon's face and her cheeks flushed as she eyed the twins in the doorway. A moment later, the twins' books were on the floor and they were rushing towards her, clapping her back and grinning. 

"RHIA!!" Fred and George yelled together. 

"FRED! GEORGE!" She yelled, grinning as she held onto them. 

"We couldn't believe it when we saw the paper! We thought there was some mistake and then we couldn't see you after class!" Fred exclaimed. 

"So we just had to see you! How are you? Have you seen any of us since that last time?" George added. 

"Can't believe you're really here!" Fred yelled again. 

"Nor can I! It's so good to be around the Weasleys again. Now the fun can really begin." She said, winking at the twins and Ron. "But now I've got to get out of here. I've got some catching up to do on the curriculum and I have to get ready for dinner." Rhiannon said apologetically. 

"Oh sure. That's fine." Fred said quickly. 

"Yeah, you do whatever you've gotta do. We'll see you later." George added. 

"Alright. Well good-bye. It was lovely to meet you all!" Rhiannon said as she grabbed some papers off her desk and walked out and away from them. George sighed happiliy. 

"Ah, its good to have a real, good teacher at Hogwarts. The others are good of course, but I don't really _know_ them if you know what I mean." He said. 

"You don't mean you're gonna try to get her to change your grades do you?" Ron asked. 

"NO! Of course not! Well not yet anyway. My grades are gonna be fair this year. Just you wait and see." George said quickly. 

"They're ALWAYS fair." Ron muttered. 

"Ah, don't worry Ronniekins. Rhia won't flunk you." Fred said, ruffling Ron's hair.

"Hey Artemis, c'mere." George said, motioning Artemis over to himself and Fred. Hermione watched them and shook her head before turning to Ron and Harry. 

"Well I'm going to the library to get a few things done. Don't wait up. I'll be at dinner." She said, turning to walk away. Ron quickly grabbed her arm. 

"But Rhia, I mean, Professor Flutterae told you not to!" He protested. Hermione quickly jerked her arm away from Ron and raised her chin. 

"She told me not to study _constantly_. This is one time. It won't hurt me. Don't try to be my mother, Ron." She said, turning and walking away from them. Ron shook his head, his blue eyes fixed on Hermione as she stalked out of the door. 

"If I was her mother, well, I'd, I'd burn her books! I'm gonna go to the tower. Alright?" He said, turning to Harry. Harry nodded. 

"Sure. I'm just gonna, I don't know wander around. Maybe go for a ride on the Firebolt." Ron smiled knowingly. 

"Do you think that they'll have Quidditch this year even after whats going on?" Ron asked, his smile fading. Harry shrugged and shook his head. 

"Don't know. I sure hope so though. I don't wanna get out of practice. Oliver would have hated for that to happen." Harry said wistfully. Ron smiled and nodded, walking out the door. 

"See you." 

Harry waved to him then stood alone in the empty classroom a moment, listening to the whispers and snickers of Fred, George and Artemis as they hatched some scheme outside the door. Harry's eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of something white lying on the floor beside the Professor's desk. He slowly walked up to it and picked it up. It was a piece of paper, blank except for a small drawing: two eyes staring into space, then a few words penciled above it: "**THE MASTER'S MIRROR**." Harry stared at it in horror. It was the eyes he had seen on the train, the same large eyes, the pupils greatly enlarged so that the color of the iris could barely be seen. Then he remembered that day in Diagon Alley when George Weasley's eyes had changed suddenly without warning and he seemed to not even notice the change. 

__

The Master's Mirror. What is she doing with something like this? Harry thought to himself, staring at the paper, the eyes seemingly staring right back at him, staring through him.

He quickly folded the paper and shoved it in his pocket, veering quickly out the door and walking past the twins and Artemis, who barely noticed him leave. He had walked practically the whole grounds of Hogwarts before he heard a voice in the corridor near the Gryffindor Tower. 

"What is it? An ickle firstie? No, just a nasty fifthy. Filthy fifthy." Harry shook his head and rolled his eyes as he realized the speaker. Peeves the Poltergeist was nothing but a trouble-maker haunting the halls of Hogwarts. 

"Isn't the filthy fifthy gonna say hullo to Peeves? Hasn't Peeves always been good to Potter Harry?" Peeves snickered. Harry sighed and waved as the ghost came into appearance. The little man's eyes glittered evilly as he eyed Harry. 

"Hullo Peeves. How are you?" Harry asked. The man shrugged and cocked his head. 

"Curious. Peeves is curious. New someone came here today. Talked to Peeves about Harry Potter. Wanted to know things. New he is." Peeves said, staring at Harry. A cold shiver ran through Harry as he eyed Peeves. 

"What are you talking about Peeves? A new someone? One of the new students?" He asked. Peeves shook his head violently. 

"No! New someone, come stalking the halls of Hogwarts, asking for Harry Potter. I told him bug off. Go find Nearly Headless Nick if he wanted information. Didn't think he knew who Nick was. But he did." Peeves said almost warningly. 

"He knew who Nick was? But what did he want with me? Who was he?" Harry almost yelled. Peeves waved a warning finger but didn't disappear. 

"Didn't say what he wanted with Harry Potter. Didn't say who he was." He said softly. 

"But what WAS he?" Harry yelled. Peeves' eyes glittered strangely and he disappeared, but not before whispering into the now cold hallway. 

"A ghost."

************************************************************************

__

Author's Note: Shew! That was an interesting D.A.D.A. class! I hope you like Rhiannon and Artemis! Maybe Draco will take a hint and not be such a terd! Otherwise Rhia might let him choke to death next time!! :-) Hmm. "The Master's Mirror"? Whats that? Ooohhhh!! A ghost? Looking for Harry Potter? Hmm. What for? AHA! CLIFFHANGAR!! I'm evil, I know. But if you think that THIS is a cliffhangar.............well, lets just say wait till you see the next chapters. ;-) Don't worry! The next chapters will be filled with LOTS of interesting stuffs! Thanks all! Thanks so much for all your reviews! Its really great to know what you think of it! Thanks so much. To answer your questions:

****

Hollie: Is Draco gonna be evil Death Eater evil? Well, you'll just hafta read and find out. He's already being a real butt-head to Artemis and Harry and the others, but thats not very surprising. At least we know that Artemis can speak for herself. Well, you'll just hafta wait and see what our dear Draco does. :-)

Keep readin'! Love ya'll!!

T.H.


	7. Whispers in the Halls

****

CHAPTER 7.

WHISPERS IN THE HALLS

"A _ghost_?" Ron said, his mouth hanging open. 

"That's right. Peeves said a new ghost was looking around for me to talk to me." Harry said, nodding fervently. 

"But you didn't find this ghost did you?" Hermione whispered. Harry shook his head with a sigh. He and his friends stood in the hallway outside the Dining Hall, waiting for dinner to begin. Harry had made sure to find Ron as quickly as possible after he talked to Peeves. Fortunately Hermione was with him, though they were both fighting again, this time about Ron's lack of study skills. "But Peeves wouldn't say if it was a girl or boy or anything?" Hermione asked. 

"No. He disappeared before I could ask him anything else." Harry said, a grim look upon his face. 

"What would a ghost want with you? Do you know anyone who died recently that would want to, I don't know, _contact_ you?" Ron asked, shrugging his shoulders. Harry frowned and ran his fingers through his hair thoughtfully. 

"Not really, but," Harry stopped dead in his thoughts. Only one person that fit that description came to mind: _Cedric Diggory_. Cedric had died recently, only last year and he had been killed by Voldemort. Now that Voldemort was returning, perhaps he needed to tell Harry something that he _didn't _know about Voldemort. "What about Cedric Diggory?" Harry asked. Both Ron and Hermione's faces froze. 

"You don't think he could do you?" Ron gulped. 

"It would make sense though wouldn't it? Cedric died while you were with him. He was killed by Voldemort. Perhaps he's trying to protect you from something." Hermione said knowledgeably.

"Yeah sure. Or maybe he wants revenge." Ron said grimly. 

"WHAT?" Hermione almost yelled. 

"Well think about it, _Harry_ suggested that they take the cup together, _Harry_ was the reason that Voldemort killed Cedric, _Harry_ was the only one who came out of it alive." Ron said reasonably. As Harry stared at him, his blood chilled in his veins. 

"Don't be stupid Ron! Cedric asked Harry to bring his body back! He wasn't looking to get back at him! If he wanted to do it, he should have done it there while he had the chance! Don't be such a prat! Its foolish. Don't listen to him, Harry." But Harry wasn't listening. Not to them anyway. A whisper had sounded in his ears, a faint one, but it was a voice he had heard before, but he wasn't sure.

__

Harry Potter.

The eyes.

The Master's Mirror, Harry.

Harry.

"Harry?" Harry jolted as Hermione tapped him on the shoulder insistantly. Then he pricked his ears again. The voice was gone. "Are you alright Harry?" Hermione asked suspiciously. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. I thought I heard something." Ron's eyes widened and his mouth gaped. 

"Was it, it, _Cedric_?" He whispered. 

"Ron," Hermione started warningly, but Ron didn't stop. 

"Was he calling out for your _blood_?" 

"Ron!"

"Did he say he wanted your head on a silver platter?"

"RON!" 

At that last yell, Hermione smacked Ron hard on the back of the head. 

"HERMIONE!!" He yelled as he grabbed his head in pain. 

"Serves you right," She said, her brown eyes flashing. "For saying such awful things! And after all that Harry has been through! And you call yourself his _friend_!" Hermione snapped. 

"I AM his friend! I'm just trying to help! Geez, why do you have to be so physical all the time? You know, you're gonna kill someone one of these days." Ron moaned as he checked his hand for blood. 

"Oh, dry up." Hermione said sarcastically. 

Harry shook his head slowly, his eyes unfocused as he tried to bring back the sound of the voice in his mind. 

"I don't think it was Cedric. Unless ghost voices sound different." Harry said. 

"Well, Nearly-Headless-Nick told me that his voice was one of the DEEPEST when he was alive. Now he said its shrunk to a mouse's squeak." Ron said, shrugging. 

"I don't know, but," Harry started but stopped as he heard loud crashes coming from somewhere in the depths of the castle.

They looked around. All the teachers and students were in the Dining Hall eating dinner, they _thought_. 

"Lets go see whats happening!" Ron said as he began to run down the hall. It turned out that the sound wasn't coming from down the hall, but was coming from further away. The children walked farther and farther away from the Dining Hall till they found themselves outside, "Snape's classroom?" Ron said in disbelief. They stared at the tightly shut door and listened to the crashes and now explosions that were occuring inside the room. They all looked at each other. "Ah, lets go." Ron said, starting to walk back towards the Dining Hall. Hermione quickly grabbed his arm. 

"Oh no you don't! We've got to stop whoever's doing that!" Hermione said, wrenching open the door. 

What they saw made them stare in horror at the sight. The entire place was a wreck. Tables, chairs, potions, potion ingredients were spilled everywhere and in the midst of them, was a huge, fully grown constrogo. 

"Oh, my, gosh." Ron said slowly, his mouth hanging open. The constrogo heard the tones of his voice and quickly turned his pulsating eyes toward them. 

"Don't look at his eyes!" Hermione yelled, turning her head away from it. Harry did the same, but snuck a glance at the creature's feet. It had stopped stomping about and was now staring at them. A moment later it began to take a few steps in their direction, walking slowly towards them, the thing about the size of a half-grown dragon "Well, any ideas? Ron? RON!" Hermione yelled in horror. Harry turned to look at his friend.

He was standing perfectly still, his eyes wide and staring straight ahead, his hands limp at his side. Hermione began to shake him hard as the creature came closer. "Ron! Ron! Wake up! Wake up! Oh goodness!" Hermione quickly fumbled for her wand, glancing over her shoulder as the constrogo slunk closer. "_EXCITO_!" Hermione yelled frantically, waving her wand over Ron. Harry stepped closer to Hermione as the constrogo came closer, its long tongue running over its pointed teeth. "Oh come on, come on!" Hermione whispered, staring at Ron and waiting for a change.

Finally, Ron's blue eyes focused and blinked. "What happened?" He muttered, moving his hands over his eyes. 

"Ron! We've got to get out of here! The constrogo," Hermione started, before Ron's eyes became wide as he saw the creature. 

"HERMIONE!! That's a constrogo! A BIG constrogo and it's, it's, IT'S GONNA KILL US!" Ron yelled. Hermione smacked him hard on the shoulder. 

"Snap out of it. We've got to find a way to get out and get the constrogo to follow us." Ron stared at her in disbelief. 

"Has all that studying finally made you _nutty_? Get him to _follow_ us?" Hermione turned to Harry with a look of disgust. 

"You agree don't you, Harry?" She asked. Harry gulped as he backed up towards the door. 

"I agree that we've gotta do something because it's almost here." He said slowly. 

"Well what should we do?" Hermione asked, throwing her hands in the air. 

"RUN!" Ron yelled, breaking for the door. Harry followed him, leaving Hermione standing alone in the middle of the aisle. 

"Come back! We can't _run_! We've got to get it out of here!" From behind her, the constrogo pounced and would have grabbed Hermione's leg, had Ron not jerked her away.

"I have a theory!" Hermione gasped as Ron pulled her along. 

"I'm sure you do. Tell us when we have time alright? Can't believe I saved your neck." He muttered. Harry stood in the doorway urging the two of them on. Hermione and Ron were only a few feet away from the door before something long and gray lashed out behind them. The door slammed shut and the lock burst into pieces. Hermione, Ron and Harry stared at the wedged door in disbelief, then turned slowly to the constrogo as it moved its tail away from the door, licking its lips hungrily. 

"Don't let it smell your fear. Don't be afraid." Hermione whispered. 

"Too late." Ron gulped. 

"You were saying something about a theory, Hermione?" Harry asked frantically.

"He probably took some of Snape's body-enlargement potions. Constrogos _never_ get this big." She whispered, never taking her eyes off of the creature. 

"So it's a little bigger than its Mummy. What do you suggest we _do_? Prick it with a pin and see if it _deflates_?" Ron hissed. 

"We have to get the right potion that can turn it back to its normal size." Hermione said quickly, watching the creature closely. 

"Oh yeah, and who's gonna do that?" Ron scoffed. Hermione drew herself up and drew her wand from her pocket. Ron stared at her incredulously. 

"Oh no. No, no." He muttered. 

"You and Harry distract him. I have to get to the closet." She said, moving away from them, her eyes on the constrogo. The creature's eyes quickly darted towards her and began to move closer to her. 

"Hermione! Are you insane?" Ron yelled. 

"You're supposed to be distracting him, so if he gets me it's all your fault!" She yelled back. 

"It's all my fault is it? Well........COME AND GET ME YOU PILLOCK! YEAH ME! I'M RIGHT HERE!" Ron yelled as he waved his hands around in the air.

The constrogo's eyes immediately left Hermione and fixed on Ron, eyeing him hungrily. 

"Yeah! Come and get us!" Harry yelled weakly. "If only I had a broomstick." He muttered. 

"Well you don't. So help me keep him occupied. COME ON YOU BIG, FAT, OVERGROWN LIZARD!! COME AND GET ME!" Suddenly the creature's jaws snapped a few feet away from Ron and he jumped back. "That was close." He muttered. "Hey Harry! Wands!" He yelled, drawing out his wand, Harry doing the same. "Now do what I do." Ron instructed, waving the wand in the air, casting bright purple sparks in the air, right under the creature's nose. The constrogo reared back, his gigantic head almost hitting the ceiling. Harry grinned and let loose a shower of green sparks. The constrogo snorted angrily and brought his head down quickly. Ron flew across the room, slamming into the wall with a groan. 

"RON!" Harry yelled. Ron didn't move, his broken wand falling from his limp hand.

Harry took a deep breath as the constrogo reared his ugly head towards him. His eyes gleamed hungrily: he could smell Harry's fear. 

"I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid, WHAT AM I SAYING?" Harry yelled in frustration as he ran from the constrogo. The creature followed him, though it was hard for him to move his huge body quickly. Harry ducked behind Snape's table as the constrogo searched for him, his huge footfalls causing impact tremors around the room. As Harry crawled backward to come out the opposite end of the desk, his leg hit something hard. _Metal_. He thought turning around and feeling for the thing he'd bumped against. 

It was a long thin box, one end wider than the other. In the darkness he felt clasps and he worked his fingers on them, trying to pry them up. "Maybe its a sword or something. Please let it be a sword, or a _gun_, yeah, a gun." Harry muttered as he jiggled the latches, growing more nervous by the minute as the constrogo came closer, smelling his fear. Finally the latches popped and the lid popped open. Harry took his wand out and whispered, "_Lumos_." There was a small bit of light as Harry covered it, lest the constrogo should see the light. He stared with surprise at the contents. It was a long thin broomstick, a very old model, a Moonbeam '87, but still in very good shape from the looks of it. The bristles were like new, the wood polished. Harry lifted it slowly and his fingers ran across indentations in the handle. He held up his wand and read the inscription on the handle, 

__

Severus Snape.

"Professor Snape?" Harry whispered. _What's Professor Snape doing with a broomstick?_ His mind muttered. But he didn't have time to ponder it any further, for the constrogo's great green eye was fixed on him under the desk. Harry quickly slammed the lid on the box shut and shot out the other end of the desk. "_NOX_!" Harry yelled as he stepped out from the desk. He then shoved his wand in his pocket and jumped on the broomstick, rising quickly into the air in front of the constrogo. The constrogo eyed him curiously as if not sure what to make of him. "YOU WANT ME? COME AND GET ME!" Harry screamed, veering quickly away. 

The constrogo rushed towards him, snapping at his legs as he flew above him. There wasn't much room, so Harry simply circled the creature's body, barely escaping its lightning fast jaws. "HERMIONE! HAVE YOU FOUND IT YET?!" Harry yelled as the creature's teeth snagged his shoe, ripping a large hole in it. 

"ALMOST! GIVE ME SOME MORE TIME!" She yelled from the closet. The creature's teeth snagged his shirt before he jerked away. 

"HERMIONE! WE DON'T HAVE ANYMORE TIME!" He screamed. A moment later, Hermione emerged from the closet, dusty but triumphant. 

"Harry catch!" She yelled as he swooped towards her. Harry quickly caught the vial in his hand and hovered above her for a moment. 

"Do I just sprinkle it on him?" He yelled, darting away as the constrogo came too close. 

"No! You have to get it in his mouth!" She yelled back, her voice tinny over the footfalls of the constrogo. Harry nodded dismally. 

"TAKE CARE OF RON!" He yelled before swooping away. He went through his thoughts furiously. What could he do? He'd done something like this before when he fought the dragons in the Tri-Wizard tournament, but this was different. He wasn't trying to get a potion in a fear-smelling constrogo.

But he had to do it, before the creature destroyed the rest of the room and got out into the castle. "ALL RIGHT YOU! COME ON! TIME FOR YOUR MEDICINE!" Harry yelled swooping a mere few inches over the constrogo's head. The constrogo snapped at him furiously but did not manage to touch him. Beads of sweat stood out on Harry's forehead as he slowly backed the constrogo up against the wall, the creature's jaws snapping the entire time. Finally Harry took a deep breath and dove right by his mouth. Just as he had anticipated, the creature's jaws opened wide to take him in, but instead he threw the entire vile into his mouth and darted away. The creature crunched down upon it and swallowed. Harry hovered in the air for a few moments, watching, waiting for an affect. The creature seemed to stare into space a moment, then slowly it's body began to shrink till it was the same size it had been in the classroom that morning.

Harry let loose a sigh of relief as he brought the broom down to the ground. He stepped off it and stared at the constrogo lying on the ground as he fingered the inscription on the handle. He turned to face Hermione and Ron, but instead found himself facing Professor McGonagall, Professor Flutterae, a frightened, pale, Fred, George, and Artemis, and finally an incensed Professor Snape. He stared at Harry, his eyes almost burning holes into the boy. His mouth moved as if to say something, but he didn't, just stared. Harry was surprised to see his gaze falter slightly as they clapped upon the broomstick in Harry's hand. Then it hardened once more as he stormed over to him and grabbed the broomstick from Harry, making him wince. 

There was a slight yell from Professor McGonagall as she rushed over to Ron, who still lay unconscious against the wall, but Snape's eyes didn't move from Harry. Harry drew himself up and stared at the Professor defiantly. He was expecting Snape to break out into a lecture, but to his surprise, he didn't. He just stared at him, just stared. And when he did speak, his voice lacked its usual anger. He simply said, void of emotion, 

"Just like your father." 

Then he whirled about on his heel and walked quickly from the room, his cloak billowing around him, the broomstick still in his hand. Professor Flutterae quickly uttered a few words, moving the constrogo into a metal box she had brought with her and walking out quickly after Snape. 

It was only then that Harry saw the cat that paused a moment in the doorway, stared at him with it's wide green eyes, then followed on Rhiannon's heels. It was a completely black cat, save for a few spottings of white on it's glistening fur, and on it's head was a spattering of white, almost in the shape of a crescent moon. Harry shrugged and looked away. Most witches and wizards had pets. It didn't surprise him much that Professor Flutterae had a cat. Fred, George and Artemis quickly rushed over to him, their faces pale and worried.

"You alright, Harry?" Fred asked. 

"You get hurt?" George added. Artemis stared at them incredulously. 

"You're brother is unconscious over there! You should be asking _him_ that!" She said angrily. They both shrugged. 

"We would be, but McGonagall wouldn't let us come near him." Fred said sadly. 

"Told us we'd done enough damage already." George added. Artemis shook her head. 

"Mister Potter! You could have been killed!" McGonagall said crisply as she quickly stepped up to him. 

"Yes, Professor." Harry murmured. 

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for such utter nonsense! But thirty points for Gryffindor for heroism, that includes stopping the constrogo and helping your friends. As for _you_ three," McGonagall said, turning to the twins and Artemis. 

"You will have detention. Detention for such an _utter_ display of disobedience, carelessness and cruelty! And your detention will be to help Professor Snape clean up his classroom, and you will do his errands for him as long as he sees fit. Weasley," McGonagall said angrily. Both twins' heads shot up. "Your brother will be taken to the infirmary. I suggest you go with him, seeing as it was _you_ two who caused this." She said, her tone brittle. Both brothers hung their heads as they shuffled over to where Ron lay on the ground. 

Artemis sighed as she watched them, then watched as Ron was carried out of the room. 

"It was my fault too. I was so mad at Snape this afternoon that I didn't care what Fred and George's scheme was. I just wanted to do it. Now I've gotta be around Snape even more than I am already. Its my own fault. Just wanted to say I'm sorry." She said with a sigh. Harry gave her a weak smile. 

"Sure. I forgive you." He said generously. 

"Thanks. I better go. I don't wanna do anything else but sleep and pray that this was all a dream. Of course I'll know it isn't when I've gotta wait on Snape." Artemis said with a groan. Harry smiled as she walked out of the door. He and Hermione were the only ones left and she slowly approached him, a small, frightened smile on her pale face. 

"Wonderful job, Harry! Sorry it took so long, but I couldn't find the right one." She said apologetically. 

"Yeah, I know. It's okay. Is Ron okay?" He asked. Hermione shrugged and glanced back wistfully at the door. 

"Professor Flutterae said he probably only had a concussion. I'm gonna go to the infirmary for a little while. Are you going to come?" She asked. Harry glanced around the destroyed room before turning back to her. 

"Yeah, in a little bit. I just wanna think for now." He said slowly. 

"Sure. I'll see you, Harry." Hermione said, giving him a small wave before she walked out the door, leaving him alone. 

Harry stood in the room for a while, listening. Someone was watching him. He could _feel_ it. He suddenly whirled around and focused on a certain point in the dungeon wall. A ghostly hand slipped through, then another, then a head, then a torso. The head lifted and spoke, 

"Why Harry Potter! Was hoping you'd stay for a chat!" Nearly-Headless-Nick said cheerfully. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as Nick popped fully through the wall. 

"Hullo, Nick. Did you see the whole thing?" He asked. Nick nodded fiercely. 

"Of course I did! Those Weasley's and that Durmstrang girl came in here with that box and let out the constrogo, then ran off and closed the door. I think they only meant for him to mess up the place, not knock over the Professor's cabinet and drink the contents that broke onto the floor." Nick said knowledgibly. Harry chuckled and shook his head. 

"I don't think so either. Hey Nick, have you been talking to any other, well, _new_ ghosts lately?" Harry asked tentatively. Nick scratched his chin in thought. 

"Well now let's see, there was that one fellow who asked for directions to the nearest pub, he's got big aspirations on haunting a pub you see. I told him, not much business in pubs. The people are so drunk that even if they see you they'll think its the alcohol talking! Anyway, then there was the young lady who got lost, ah, the boy from Hogwarts," Nick murmured, counting off his fingers. 

"The boy from Hogwarts!? Who was he?" Harry cut in. Nick raised his head quickly and shrugged. 

"Oh I dunno. Don't have a head for names you understand. If I don't see 'em on a daily basis their names go straight out my head." Nick said sadly, waving his hand over his head with a 'whoosh' sound. Harry slumped dejectedly. 

"Oh. Well do you at least remember what he _talked_ about?" He asked hopefully. 

"Well let's see now, he did ask about you, and also Professor Snape and Professor Flutterae. Seemed to take _great_ interest in them. And also some piece of paper with a drawing on it. Can't remember what was on it. Icicles? Ice-cream? Islands?" Nick muttered, trying to think of the right answer. 

"Eyes?" Harry prompted. Nick sighed happily. 

"Yes, thats it. It had eyes on it. But they're not any ordinary eyes. He didn't know what they did, but its something terrible. Something to do with a mirror and something else. Can't remember. The chappie wasn't exactly clear you understand. But he did put _especial_ emphasis on Professors Flutterae and Snape. Especially them." Nick said slowly. 

"Well, you'll tell me if you see the boy again, won't you Nick?" Harry asked. Nick grinned and saluted. 

"Will do my best! Now I've got to go. I promised Peeves that I'd play a game he thought up tonight. One of his own games, so most likely this night will end with me getting chased off by Filch. Quite degrading, in my opinion." Nick sighed. Harry chuckled and waved good-bye to the ghost. 

"Good luck then!" Harry said as the ghost slipped back into the wall. 

Harry stood silently in the dimly lit room. Shivers ran up and down his spine as the wind blew through the cracks in the walls, causing a low whistling to echo up and down the corridors. Harry closed his eyes only for a moment, trying to regain control of himself, but when he opened them again, the room was completely dark. He stifled a yell as he stepped over broken glass as he felt for the doorway. But as he turned around, blind in the darkness, there was an eerie glow near what he now saw was Professor Snape's desk. There in the darkness, letting off an ghostly green glow, was a pair of eyes, the eyes from the train. Only now they were not docile as they had been before. They were furious and seething. Fires brimmed in the darkness of its gaze and the irises were completely covered by the enlarged and enflamed pupil. They opened wider and narrowed as he stared at them.

Harry yelped and whirled around, but not before seeing another glow in the doorway, and a pair of haunting gray eyes that lingered after the transparent body had disappeared. Harry's breath caught in his throat. He was alone in the room with a pair of furious eyes that seemed to see right through him, and a ghost was here, had just rendered himself invisible. But then again, he noticed that the hairs that had risen on his neck were now lying back against his neck as they always had. No breeze stirred the corridor. With a deep breath, Harry turned slowly around to face the eyes. But they were there no longer. Only a small glow, reminicent of the burst of light that it had once been remained. Harry took no more chances. He ran through the door as fast as he could, feeling a slight coldness as he rushed through the doorway.

He didn't stop running until he had reached the hospital wing, where he bumped into Madame Pomfrey, who clucked at him disapprovingly. 

"Now, now Harry. I've taken care of Mister Weasley as best I could. Only a good night's sleep can help him now." She said, wagging her finger at him. 

"Please Madame Pomfrey! It's important! I didn't get to see him before and I just want to make sure he's alright." Harry pleaded as he panted. There was a slight change in the woman's eyes which Harry took to be softness as she said, 

"Alright, but ten minutes! No more! No less!" She said firmly, opening the door for him.

Harry crept into the hospital ward silently. There were only a few other people there, but not many. It wasn't hard to detect the Weasley boy with his shocking red hair. To Harry's surprise, Ron was sitting straight up in bed, his eyes wide open. His hands were in his lap and he was running them over and around each other nervously. 

"Ron?" Ron didn't answer, didn't even look at him. "Ron?!" Harry said a little louder. Ron jumped as if he'd been shocked and finally looked up at him, relief evident on his face. 

"Oh Harry! I'm so glad its you! I was afraid it was that bo-, Madame Pomfrey." Ron stuttered, a silly grin spread across his face. Harry quickly sat down beside him on the bed. 

"How're you feeling Ron?" He asked. Ron shrugged and waved his hand back and forth. 

"Alright. A little queasy and my head hurts as bad as the time Fred banged me over the head with his beater, but I'm alright. Alright now that you're here." He shivered. "Hermione was here for a while. Didn't expect _that_ I tell you! And so were Fred and George and Artemis. They explained what happened. I would _kill_ them if I didn't feel the same way they did about Snape. Golly! Slaves to Snape's every whim! Geez, McGonagall was feeling especially cruel today!" Ron said with a smile. "But then, there hasn't been anyone else here and I've been getting, I don't know, lonesome maybe? I don't know, but I don't want to be alone. That bo-, someone might come see me that I don't want to see me." Ron stuttered, stumbling over his words.

"That's the second time you've said something like that Ron. Who did you see before?" Harry asked suspiciously. Ron's ears grew pink and he turned away from Harry. 

"It's nothing. Honest. Nobody saw me. I was unconscious remember?" Ron said nervously. 

"But before you were unconscious? Did you see anybody?" Harry pressed. Ron looked straight ahead, never looking once at Harry. 

"I saw him, Harry." Harry stared at Ron's wide open blue eyes, and his pale face that glistened in the darkened room. 

"Who, Ron?" Harry whispered. 

"The ghost. The ghost that was looking for you. I never saw his face, but, but," Ron gulped, unable to go on. 

"It's okay Ron. I'm here." Harry whispered. Ron finally turned his face to Harry and worry stretched across it. 

"He had gray eyes Harry. Didn't, didn't Cedric have gray eyes?" He whispered worriedly. Harry sat back in his seat. 

"Yeah he did. Grayest eyes you could ask for." Harry whispered. Ron shook his head, all happiness driven out by his unexplainable fear. 

"It must have been him there, when I got hit. Put a softening spell on the wall so I wouldn't hit it so hard. He told me I could have cracked my skull. He asked about you Harry. Wanted to know if you've figured out the paper yet. Said he's leaving Hogwarts, but he'll be back." Ron shivered and pulled the covers closer to him as he whispered, 

"What would Cedric want with me?" Harry could not answer him. He could only sit still in the quiet room and listen to the echoes of the halls, whispering and calling his name.

__

The Master's Mirror, Harry.

The Master's Mirror.

************************************************************************

__

Author's Note: Thank you! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Thanks! You're all great! Hope you're enjoying the story so far. And don't worry. Heh-heh, things are just getting started. 

T.H.


	8. The Announcement

**__**

Disclaimer: J.K. reaps the benefits. I'm not her, nor do I pretend to be her. This is my pathetic attempt to create a sequel to the fourth book, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". I'm not trying to copyright or copy or anything. J.K. GETS ALL!! Her mansion is Scotland is evidence of that. ;-) 

************************************************************************

****

CHAPTER 8.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT

Even several weeks afterward, Harry still had no answer to Ron's question, nor to the question that the ghost had posed to him through Ron. _I don't understand why Cedric, if it was Cedric at all, is focusing on Ron. Unless it's to get to me. That could be it. And the paper, I can't make heads nor tails of it. The Master's Mirror and eyes. What do they have in common? I just don't know. I need something else to take my mind off of this. _Many other students agreed with this thought. Many of the younger children still hadn't gotten over the fact that they had been sent to Hogwarts early was because a Hogwarts student had been cruelly murdered, though no details would be given as to _how_ he was murdered. "That means it was pretty gory. They _never_ tell you how they died if its gory." Ron explained knowingly.

The older children weren't as concerned with the murder, believing that they were in good hands, for surely Dumbeldore wouldn't let a murderer into Hogwarts! Never! He had kept Sirius Black away from them hadn't he? But the younger children weren't so convinced. They went to classes as usual, did their activities, but they needed something else to distract them from the gruesome and thoroughly frightening events. 

Apparently, Dumbledore and the staff agreed, for at breakfast about a week after Ron was let out of the Infirmary, Dumbledore stood from his seat and ordered silence. "Students, I have an announcement to make, a pleasant one I hope. I'm sure you have observed that the Quidditch try-outs had been postponed until an unknown date. Well now that date is _known_. This afternoon and the day afterward, Madame Hooch and the leaders of the other Houses will observe the Quidditch try-outs for their house teams. After the two days, places will be assigned to certain lucky youths. There are several playing spots open, as many of our students have either graduated from our school, or have left us." There was a small sob from an indistinct corner of the Dining Room. Harry knew what it was about and he shrunk in his chair. He didn't want to think about Cedric now. 

__

What if he's here looking for me? Then I definetly don't want to think about him. Harry thought. 

"That is all. Enjoy your meal." Dumbledore said before sitting down and eating once more.

"Isn't it great Harry? I think I'm gonna try out! I'd love to be Captain." Ron murmured dreamily. Beside him, Fred and George chuckled, and Fred smacked his brother's back good-naturedly. 

"I think you've gotta be at least as tall as the Beaters to be Captain." Fred winked. Ron shrugged him off and instead stared dreamily into space. 

"I think I'll try out for Keeper. Granted, I won't be as good as Oliver Wood was, but I can still try." He said, a wistful smile on his face. Across from him, Hermione rolled her eyes. 

"Like you'll even _make_ Keeper! I bet you'll be knocked out in the try-outs! You should be worrying about more important things, like your Charms paper that you _still_ haven't finished." She scoffed. Ron snapped out of his daydreaming instantly. 

"I only have a few feet left to write, Hermione, and I will _not_ get knocked out! I don't have four older, Quidditch-playing brothers for NOTHING! I know a_ few_ things about Quidditch, Hermione Granger, and I can assure you that _I WON'T GET KNOCKED OUT!_" Ron said forcefully. Harry smiled as Hermione huffed, but said nothing.

"I think I'll try out for Chaser." Harry almost didn't recognize the quiet voice to be Artemis', but it was hers. She sat back in her chair, her fair hand resting lightly against her chin thoughtfully. 

"Did you play Quidditch in Durmstrang? You never told us!" Harry said in surprise. Artemis grinned and shrugged. "Didn't think it was important. I thought they had postponed the try-outs indefinetly, so I didn't see any point in bringing it up." She said wryly. 

"But we LOVE Quidditch! We would have talked to you about it anyway!" George said quickly. 

"Yeah! Our brother Charlie could have been Seeker for the British Quidditch team, but he went off chasing dragons. I'd much rather have a nationally acclaimed brother than a brother who spends his days slopping about in dragon dung." Fred said remorsefully. Artemis shook her head and chuckled. 

"Well if you and Ronnie get on the team it'll be great! 'Cause then it'll be me, Fred, Ron, you, and old Harry is the best Seeker we've ever had for a long time! It'll be grand!" George said excitedly.

Artemis quickly turned her eye upon Harry. "You're Seeker? I had forgotten! I can't wait to see you in a game! Everyone says you're wonderful!" Artemis said excitedly. 

"Obviously you didn't talk to _everyone_." A cool voice remarked from behind Artemis. She whirled around quickly, a frown on her face as she saw Draco Malfoy leaning over her chair. His elbows rested on the back of her chair and he eyed her with a lazy expression. From behind Artemis, Fred, George and Ron all eyed Draco angrily, their fists clenching and unclenching. "In case you _didn't_ know, I'm also on a Quidditch team. Slytherin's Seeker in fact." Draco raised up a pale hand for inspection as he eyed his nails before fixing his cool eyes upon Artemis, who stared at him coldly. "Better than Potter in fact." Ron scoffed loudly. Draco's face quickly gravitated over to Ron's red face and he glared at him. "Look who's talking Weasley. Look who didn't even get ON the team." He commented.

Anger boiled up inside of Harry as he eyed Draco. "The only reason YOU got on the team was because your Dad paid your way in. You didn't get in there by any real talent whatsoever!" Harry said angrily. Draco's gaze moved to Harry's eyes and Harry's scar flashed with pain. But he restrained his hand from moving up to it, knowing that even if he did caress it, the pain would not leave that easily. 

"At least thats more than _your_ father can do, Potter. But thats right. He's _dead_, isn't he?" Fred and George quickly put their arms on Ron as he attempted to leap out of his chair and strangle Malfoy, hissing a curse that would have made Molly Weasley blanche and wash his mouth out with soap. Draco chuckled, then pretended to look shocked. "Why, Weasley! Did your Pop teach you that one?" Fred and George winced as they strained against their brother's raging fists. 

Draco simply rolled his eyes and leaned back down on Artemis' chair, his cool eyes never leaving her face. Artemis quickly met his gaze and locked it, but to Harry's surprise, after a moment she faltered and looked away. Draco continued to stare into her face for a time before letting his hand drop to touch one of Hermione's frizzy locks. "Gosh Granger! Aren't you ever gonna get any suitable shampoo that takes care of this rot? Honestly, its disgusting." He chuckled. Ron growled under his breath, but sat down at his brothers' bidding. Hermione simply scoffed, but turned deep red as she muttered, 

"Bug off, Malfoy." Malfoy shrugged and turned away from her, instead turning again to Artemis. Artemis again met his gaze with determination, but again it faltered. Harry frowned as he watched them, the two pairs of cool gray eyes locked together. Why was Artemis backing off? Then Harry realized. There was something that Artemis saw in Draco's eyes that shook her. It wasn't frightening, for she didn't give any indication of being frightened. It simply shook her so, that she couldn't stare hard at him like she did to Fred and George when they were getting on her nerves. It troubled Harry because it troubled Artemis, and it seemed to trouble her moreso.

Finally Draco looked away and smiled at them. "See you at the try-outs, Weasley, Thornshadow. Hope you live till then." He said, winking before walking off. 

"I really hate him. That big, fat JERK." Ron muttered, his flashing blue eyes staring at the boy's figure as it stalked away. 

"You said it Ronnie." Fred said firmly. "A real jerk." He repeated. 

"Oh, come now. Calling names isn't going to change anything. He's always going to be obnoxious. Its his job." Hermione sniffed.

"You alright Artemis?" George asked, concern entering his tone. Artemis continued to stare after Draco long after his figure was no longer visible. Harry frowned and eyed her closer, before he drew back in fright. The gray-green color of her irises were no longer visible. Instead they were taken over by the pure black of her pupils. But as soon as he blinked, the girl's head had moved and she shrugged. 

"I'm fine." She said quietly, not noticing Harry's look of surprise and shock that spread across his face.

Harry tried to think about the incident, tried to find a reason for it, tried to understand what was happening. _The first time I saw something like that happen was when I was in Flourish and Blotts and it happened to George when he was looking out the store windows right after Malfoy left. Then when Malfoy left, it happened to Artemis. But whats the connection? Or is there one?_ Harry didn't have much time to think about it afterwards, for all his classes kept him busy, and Snape seemed to be breathing down his neck excessively that day, causing him to lose ten points from Gryffindor for simply not remembering the name of an ingredient.

After he left Rhiannon's class, which had gone incredibly well, he had helped to earn thirty points for Gryffindor, making up for the loss in points that Snape had caused. But still, Harry shuffled out of the door dismally, completely forgetting the announcement that had been made that morning till Ron came up behind him and draped his long arm around his shoulders. "Ready for Quidditch old boy? I tell you _I_ am! Can't wait to try out! Can't wait to _work_ with you! It'll be great!" He gushed excitedly. Harry perked up immediately. He'd forgotten about the Quidditch try-outs. Finally, something to take his mind off eyes and mirrors and Malfoy for once. There would be nothing there but him in the air practicing with the other kids trying out. 

"Hold on! I've gotta go get my broomstick!" He said, leaving Ron and running up the stairs.

When he stepped into the Gryffindor boys' bedroom, he dove under his bed and pulled out the long case that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had chipped in to get him for his birthday. It was an incredibly early birthday present, but, "We wanted to get it for you before you went to Hogwarts, dear! We didn't want your wonderful broomstick to get all mussed or something." Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. Ron had grumbled at that. 

"Your_ wonderful_ broomstick. Cripes, why doesn't she just drool?" He had asked, rolling his blue eyes. Harry snapped the latches on the case and stared happily at his broomstick, the Firebolt. He gently pulled it out and ran his fingers over the smooth wood of the handle lovingly. He held it in his hands a moment more then shoved the case back under his bed and jumping to his feet.

For a mere moment he considered opening up the window, jumping out and flying to the Quidditch field, but he thought better of it. "Don't wanna get kicked off the team already." He murmured with a smile, running his fingers over the handle before running down the tower stairs quickly. As Harry ran onto the Quidditch field, he gave encouraging smiles to all the nervous faces in the lines waiting for their turn to try out. He waved to Ron who was looking quite pale and also to Artemis, whose face was set with determination, but was still stricken with look of nervous sickness. On the far end of the field, the Slytherins were already trying out for places on their team. Harry watched as Draco showed off immensely, swooping and diving more than necessary, simply to attract attention and to make those who were trying out, nervous.

"Heya Harry! This'll be fun what?" Fred called out from up in the air. Harry grinned and blocked the sun from his eyes as he looked up to see Fred and George soaring high above him. 

"Can't wait to see how Ronnie does! I'm sure he'll do great though!" George yelled, falling out of a double arc in order to speak intelligibly to Harry. 

"Well what're ya waiting for? Come on up, Potter!" Fred yelled. Harry grinned and jumped on his broomstick, feeling the power rush into the slender bit of wood and carry him high in the air. Once up with the others, he felt free. He swooped and dove through the air, spinning and twirling with sickening accuracy, letting his arms fly out from him, just breathing the air that flew into his face and into his nostrils. It was wonderful up there.

"Alright! Enough horsing around up there! Weasleys! Potter!" Harry ceased to fly about as he heard Professor McGonagall's stern voice. Obediently, he and the twins stopped flying about. "Now for Chaser position, Marty Macfell." Professor McGonagall called out. A pale boy walked from the lines and stepped hesitantly onto his broomstick. He barely made it into the air before he fell off his broomstick. The other children rushed to him and one of them called out, 

"Professor! He's fainted!" Professor McGonagall sighed and brought her hand to her face. 

"Help him to the Infirmary! Yes, yes I'll hold your place. Now go!" She ordered a young fourth year. "Well, next up for Chaser position, Artemis Thornshadow." McGonagall called out. Artemis stepped out of the crowd, her broomstick in hand, tight-lipped and pale, but firm none-the-less. From up above her, Fred and George let out loud whoops that echoed throughout the entire field. Artemis released a nervous grin before breathing deeply and jumping on her broomstick, bringing it soaring into the air. 

The Quaffle was released and Artemis quickly brought it into play. The substitute Keeper, who'd been taking Oliver Wood's place braced himself, not expecting much from the newcomer. Artemis quickly faked, pretending to pass it back to Alicia Spinnet. The Keeper moved towards Alicia, and Artemis tossed the Quaffle through one of the hoops. The team cheered loudly and Artemis soared above them in an arc before coming back down to run another play. "Alright! Enough showing off! Lets play Quidditch!" Harry noticed that though Professor McGonagall was showing her superiority, there was a hint of pride and admiration in her voice as she cast a triumphant glance at Professor Snape who stood across the field. Professor Snape merely scoffed and looked away. 

Several more plays were run, in most of which Artemis showed great speed and control. At times she faltered, but they were not many. All in all, Harry felt that her technique was very strong, especially when she ceased to be nervous. When she finally settled down on the ground below, she grinned and ran through the crowd high-fiving everyone, barely hearing Professor McGonagall's message that she would be contacted either way. The next hour was spent on running through those trying out for Chaser position. There were many who were very good and some who were not so good. "I'm betting it will either be Artemis or that one kid Malus Krandoff." George said knowingly during a break before the try-outs for the positions of Keeper were started. Harry nodded, agreeing silently.

There were quite a few Keepers that were tried out, for Ron was the last. The tension grew terribly with each player that took his or her turn. Harry noticed that with each player that tried out, the more pale Ron became. "Please don't let him faint." Harry muttered under his breath. Finally, Ron's turn came and he gulped and stepped out of the crowd. 

"C'mon Ronnie. C'mon Ron." Harry looked over to see the twins eyeing their brother completely seriously, no hint of joking in their voices. They eyed their brother with respect and hope, hoping that he wouldn't fail. Ron slowly moved into the air and into the Keeper position, looking more pale than he had a moment ago.

Fred and George and the other players moved up and positioned themselves in front of the Quaffles in front of them. They were instructed to toss the Quaffles in front of the Keeper, to see how well he could save them. They waited for McGonagall's whistle breathlessly. Ron gulped and breathed deeply. He fixed his eyes on Harry and didn't move them until the whistle was blown. When it was blown, Ron's eyes snapped to attention and he watched the Quaffles as they were tossed at him. Harry thought that he would be quickly overwhelmed. It was making _him_ dizzy. But he underestimated his friend. Ron caught the first Quaffle tossed towards him by Alicia Spinnet, threw the one Fred had thrown directly at his dangling knees, causing him to bring his broom up sharply, and nearly hit George's head with the one that George threw to him. George whistled as the Quaffle whizzed past his ear. "Good one, Ronnie." He whispered.

From below, McGonagall nodded primly. "Make them faster this time." She called up. So the volleys came faster, and faster still. Only one Quaffle made it past Ron's hands and that was hit to him by Fred. Fred grinned as he saw Ron's dejected face.   


"S'okay Ronnie! Its just one! Just one old boy! Don't give up!" He called. Almost instantly, Ron's face perked up and he moved back into position as the volleys began again. When McGonagall finally called them down from the air, everyone cheered so loudly that they barely heard McGonagall's message. Fred and George fairly pounced on their brother as soon as they reached the ground. "You were great Ronnie!" Fred yelled. 

"And you thought you'd suck!" George said with a smile as he gave his brother a noogie. Ron smacked them away with an irritated gesture, but there was a pleased grin on his face. 

"Ron!" Ron whirled around as he heard the feminine voice call his name.

Harry was surprised to see Hermione run up to them breathlessly, her eyes shining. "Hermione? But I thought you had to study this afternoon." Ron faltered. Hermione shrugged. 

"I got done early. You were wonderful!" She said excitedly. Ron's ears turned pink as he grinned at her. 

"Thanks for coming, Hermione." He said quietly. 

"I 'most thought you were gonna throw up up there!" Fred laughed. 

"I told you I wouldn't! I was just nervous." Ron said, waving them off. 

"Ron, you were great! Fabulous! However did you do it?" Artemis asked as she pushed through the crowd. Ron grinned and gave her a thumbs-up sign. 

"Easy, just imagined that Fred and George were pitching spiders and trolls at me like they did when I was a kid and it was simple." Ron said with a smile. 

"Luck, thats all _that_ was." Came a cool voice from behind them.

The group groaned as a collective as they turned around to face Draco Malfoy, who stood directly in front of them, his hands on his hips. "Nice bit of protecting Weasley, but you looked a little sick. Have altitude sickness do you?" Draco sneered. Harry quickly eyed Fred and George as they both narrowed their eyes and clenched their fists. "Well then, perhaps there'll only be one good person on this team this year. And that'll be an improvement. Of course a team isn't made up of one person though, so you'll most likely lose the tournament this year." Draco said with a sigh. 

"And who would that _one_ person be Malfoy?" Ron asked angrily. Draco didn't even blink as he quickly answered, 

"Why Artemis Thornshadow of course." He said cooly. Artemis was taken aback, and apparently so was everyone else on the team, as they stared at the Slytherin boy with surprise.

"Yes. She's the only one whose got some talent on this team, which is something that even the infamous celebrity Harry Potter does not have. Natural talent, thats what she's got." Draco said with a cruel smile. 

"Yeah, thats more than you can say for yourself Malfoy." Ron sneered. Draco's head quickly turned to Ron and his pleasant appearance faded. 

"You shut up, Weasley. I don't see any lightning moves coming out of _your_ broomstick." He scoffed. 

"Don't you tell us Weasleys to shut up!" Fred growled. 

"Yeah! You tell one of us to shut up, then you've gotta deal with the rest of us." George said, his eyes narrowing. Draco raised one long eyebrow. 

"Oh, scary. I'll be attacked by red-headed sparrows." Artemis placed one hand in front of the Weasley twins as they moved to attack the boy. 

They looked at her questioningly and she shook her head. "He's not worth your time." She said simply. Draco looked at her, then at the softening boys and scoffed. 

"Amazing what a woman's touch can do." He said sarcastically. 

"We can still hex you from here Malfoy, so I wouldn't start laughing again." Fred growled. Draco threw his hands in the air. 

"Like I said, scary. Let me know when you've actually got a team, Weasley, a team that can truly challenge Slytherin. But then again, that will never happen, unless you get a team of Artemis Thornshadows." Draco scoffed before turning his pale eyes upon Artemis' fierce face. But she didn't retort his words. Simply stared at him just as cooly as he and said, 

"Leave them alone, Malfoy." Draco shrugged his shoulders and walked away from them, his blonde head still held high.

Fred and George stared at Artemis in horror. "What?" She asked. Fred pointed one finger at her. 

"You just told Draco Malfoy to bug off." He said simply. 

"Yeah? So?" Artemis questioned. 

"SO?? He _listened_ to you! He _never_ listens!" Ron exploded. Artemis shrugged. 

"Ah, who cares? He's just a push-over anyway. C'mon, lets eat. I'm starved. Hey George, you think you can raid the kitchen for those pasties I really like?" Artemis asked, leading the team back to the castle. George quickly stepped up to her pace and nodded. 

" 'Course! It'd be my pleasure!" He said happily. 

A few days later, the notice announcing those who'd made the Quidditch teams was posted. Harry strode past it, barely noticing that it was there, but he stopped when he noticed that Ron had stopped in front of it, his face pale. "Ron? Ron, are you okay?" He asked eyeing his friend with concern. He then saw the notice. 

"Harry, I can't look. Will you look for me?" Ron gulped. 

"Sure I'll look for you." Harry said generously. But before he could look, he and Ron whirled around as a shrill shriek filled the entire hall. Further down the hall in front of Professor McGonagall's classroom, another notice was posted. In front of it, stood Artemis and Hermione, both clutching each other and staring at the notice in awe.

Harry and Ron both turned to each other and shrugged before the two girls bolted down the hall. Ron jumped as Hermione threw herself upon him excitedly. "Oh RON! Ron! I'm so proud of you!" She said excitedly. 

"Thats great, Hermione. But what did I do?" He mumbled uncomfortably, blushing pink. Hermione squeezed him tightly. 

"YOU MADE THE TEAM!!" She squealed before blushing pink and releasing her hold on Ron, realizing that she had never squealed in her life and she didn't necessarily like the sound of it. 

"You're Keeper! And I'm," Artemis started, but before she could finish, there was a triumphant roar down the hall as the Weasley twins rushed down it towards them. Both of them clapped Artemis and Ron on the backs simultaneously. 

"YOU'RE CHASER!! CONGRATULATIONS!" Fred said excitedly. "

Great job Artemis! You'll do great!" George said generously, winking at her before he bowed slightly. Artemis waved her hand at them, but blushed red. 

"So, we'll all be on the team together. Thats great!" Harry said excitedly. 

"Yeah, great." They all turned to face Draco. "I just can't wait for you to choke at the first game." He said, walking through them and bumping shoulders with them as he did so. 

"He's such a terd." Ron said with narrowed eyes. 

"Artemis, where'd you get that? Its beautiful!" Hermione whispered in awe as she fingered the girl's robe. Artemis frowned but gasped as she saw a tiny scarlet rosebud hanging from a fine gold chain that was caught on a frayed thread of her robe. She pulled it up in surprise and touched the soft petals wondringly. George frowned. 

"You put that on?" He asked suspiciously. Artemis looked up at him, her eyes filled with wonder as she shook her head. Harry looked back towards the departing Malfoy and saw him turn around once, give a satisfied smile, then turn back around, walking with his self-absorbed swagger.

************************************************************************

**__**

Author's Note: *beams and tosses confetti* Thanks you guys! You guys are so sweet to review! That goes for all of you and also to those who've just started reading. You guys rock! I really appreciate your reviews because I enjoy reading your input and hearing your suggestions as to how I can perfect my story! Thanks so much!

****

Hollie: Thank you so much for reading my humble little HP story! And also, thank you for telling me how to better format the story! I had been meaning to try something like that out, but never got around to it. To tell you the truth, I wasn't really sure how to do it you know? Just to separate it out. I know, I'm not that observant, I guess. But no one's perfect! :-) Thanks for the help! I really appreciate it! As for "Lian", GAK! Ending it there was evil! You've gotta continue it soon! 

****

Sara Minks: _Thanks for reviewing and reading! You're certainly welcome for the reviews! I really like your stories! You better continue that story of yours, otherwise, I'll end this in a horrible cliffhangar until you do! ;-) I wouldn't do anything THAT cruel! But I do wanna see what happens in your story! Keep it up!_

****

WhetherRose: Ah! One of my brand new reviewers! Thank you so much! I really appreciate your input and long reviews! Heh-heh, I LUV long reviews! Lol! Heck, I love any kind of reviews. ;-) But seriously, thank you for all your input and suggestions. And you know what, you're probably right about Petunia actually using the words 'Magic' and 'Wizards'. She's deluding herself into thinking its not real and for her to be using them, she'd be giving in. She's too stubborn for that. Thanks for pointing that out! Also thanks for complimenting the title name! I already have names for the other two stories that will eventually be sequels to this one, but heh-heh, I don't have all of the stories for them! :-) Well, I'm writing the sequel to this, but still. :-) Thanks! I'm glad you (**this goes for all you guys**) like the little incidents that the characters talk about in the story. I really like to create a background for the characters when I write, so I am just tickled when people say that they enjoy them. Thanks so much again and keep writing your story! I really wanna see what happens! Oh yeah! I've been meaning to say this in one of my reviews to you, but always forget! I just LOVE your author name! It's so poetic!

****

Torrential Zephyr: Thanks for your first review! You're probably not gonna see this till later because you're still at the beginning of the story, but hey, thats okay! :-) I think that 'minions' is a perfect word to describe Crabbe and Goyle. They just hang around Draco and grunt. Backup is all they are. :-) Thats just another sad reminder that Draco really doesn't have any friends. **I'm gonna address this soon in the story.** Thats also the second time someone has commented on Petunia's noticing her sister's eyes in Harry, and almost imagining that Lily is there! Thank you! I thought it was an intriguing idea because, although Petunia was incredibly jealous of Lily, I think that somewhere inside her is this regret. She doesn't know what its for or why she has it, but its still there. Thats what I was trying to say with that passage. Also, thank you for your keen observation of my sentences! I know I get a little rough at times. With this chapter, I kinda just skimmed, then put it up. I've gotten better since then, but sometimes I miss them. Thank you though! I really appreciate your observation! Tom Riddle was great! I still as of yet have to review, but I DID read it and it rocked! Post more of your other story too! They both rock! 

Thanks for all the reviews guys and I hope you enjoyed this part of the chapter. It was shorter than the others, but trust me, as it gets more into the story, the chapters get longer. Heh-heh. :-) Come along for the ride, guys! 

Oh yeah, and for some reason, I just wanted to put up this little quote for your enjoyment, something we could all take to heart. I do! :-) Luv ya!

****

Let the night be too dark for me to see

Into the future. Let what will be be.

T.H.

(Heh-heh, I don't own that EITHER!!) **:-)**


	9. Recipe for Disaster

**__**

* Blah, blah, I don't own this, blah, blah. :-) Hope you enjoy this chapter. Its gonna rather be in the style of J.K., so its longer than the others. Strap on your seatbelts guys, 'cause from here on, every little detail matters. The story's really getting going now, and this is the beginning! ;-) *

************************************************************************

****

CHAPTER 9.

****

RECIPE FOR DISASTER

The day of the first Quidditch match dawned early for Harry. He found himself waking up prematurely that morning, unable to return to sleep. His whole body was practically on fire with excitement as he thought of the coming match. He had a hard time paying attention to the classes, even D.A.D.A., which was one of his favorite subjects. The day whizzed by, interrupted only once by a frantic stampede of seventh and sixth year students, who were running away from the ultra-enhanced stink bomb that Fred and George had concocted _especially_ for Divination, causing the usually poised Professor Trelawney to lose her composure completely and run from the classroom, leaving Fred and George, breath-masks over their smiling faces, alone. 

"Harry, Ron, Draco, will you come up here please?" Rhiannon's gentle voice broke into Harry's reverie as she spoke from her desk. The other students left as the bell rang, leaving Hermione and Artemis, who waited for Harry and Ron outside the door. The three boys trooped up to the desk and Rhiannon gave them a winning smile. "Boys, here's your papers on Apparitions and Wraiths. Mister Potter," She said, turning to Harry. "Mister Potter, your paper in itself was excellent. However, I have marked several spots in red with corrections. Just simple things that could have been worded better. Mister Weasley," Rhiannon said quietly, picking up Ron's paper and handing it to him. "Again, well done! But for most of the examples, they were the same examples you'd already listed, phrased differently." She said gently. Ron blushed a deep red and hung his head. 

"Yeah, I'm sorry Rhi-, Professor Flutterae. I couldn't find any more of the examples you talked about and I was running out of time." He murmured.

Rhiannon nodded quietly, but forced Ron to look at her. "If you need help, you can ask for it. You don't have to make things up. I swear I won't kill you!" She laughed. Ron smiled and nodded. "Now, I had to take off points for that, but its not terribly much. You'll still keep a good grade average." Rhiannon said kindly, winking at the boy. Ron let loose a grateful smile and stepped back. "Mister Malfoy," Rhiannon started. 

"Well its about bloody time." Draco muttered. Rhiannon's eyes came up quickly, but she did not counter Draco's ejaculation. Then at a sudden noise, all four people suddenly looked down on the ground, then at the black streak that jumped upon Rhiannon's desk. 

It was the cat Harry had seen following Rhiannon from Snape's classroom. It's green eyes were narrowed, it's back arched, the inky hairs rising high as it hissed and spat in Draco's general direction. Draco sniffed, but did not look away. He simply glared at it. Rhiannon's hand then came down upon the cat's raised back, slowly petting it with long strokes. Slowly, the cat relaxed and in no time it was sitting contentedly on the desk beside Rhiannon's papers, eyes closed in happiness as it purred loudly. Rhiannon smiled winningly at the boys as she slowly removed her hand from the cat's back. "Sorry about that. My cat, Malificent. Go ahead and pet her, she won't mind. She was probably just startled." Rhiannon urged. Ron, slightly worried by the spitting routine that the cat had performed earlier, warily lay his hand down on the cat's back. The cat's eyes opened momentarily, but remained seated, purring loudly.

Ron smiled and removed his hand, nudging Harry as if to say, 'See! If I can pet her, you can surely.' Harry slowly moved his hand down to the cat, but as he did so, the cat's deep green eyes opened wide and the cat jumped to her feet. She stared at Harry and Harry stared back, his hand raised tentatively in the air. There seemed to be a sort of intelligence in the cat's eyes, more so than others of her species. Her deep green eyes seemed to greet him cordially, growing warmer by the second. Then the cat moved her head under Harry's hand, rubbing up and down his arm. Harry gave a small sigh of relief and petted the cat. Then Malificent lowered herself to the ground and with a leap, jumped onto Harry's shoulder. Harry jolted with surprise, but smiled and moved his neck so the cat could get comfortable. Almost like a bird, the cat perched on Harry's shoulder, her green eyes gazing out over the other people in the room. 

"Stupid cat." Draco muttered, but he moved his hand out towards the black cat. A streak of black lightening and a horrendous hiss saw Draco step back with a cry, a scratch on his white hand. Rhiannon quickly stood and pressed a white handkerchief to the bleeding scratch, casting a glare in Malificent's direction. 

"I'm sorry, Draco. She obviously doesn't take to you." She murmured as she cleaned the scratch. Draco scoffed and glared at the cat, who demurely licked it's paw and remained on Harry's shoulder. 

"_Obviously_." He muttered.

After Draco's hand was rubbed clean of the blood, Rhiannon sat back down at her desk, once more picking up Draco's paper. "Now, Mister Malfoy, your paper," She started. 

"Was awful I know. I'm a Slytherin, therefore I can't get as good of grades as the Gryffindors in this class and I stink at writing." Draco exploded, much to Harry's surprise. Draco's eyes were wide and angry, a faint pink blush covering his usually pale face. Rhiannon's hands settled gently on the desk as she looked at Draco. For once, Draco could not hold his own against someone in a staring match, so he dropped his gaze. When Rhiannon finally spoke, her voice was soft and gentle. 

"Mister Malfoy, there is no favoritism in this classroom. All the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, _and_ Slytherins are graded appropriately. What I was going to say is that your paper is extraordinary."

Ron's mouth fell wide open as he stared at Rhiannon. Draco too looked as though his mouth was about to do the same, but he restrained himself as he stared at Rhiannon. "But, I, it wasn't that good and I wasn't sure about all the facts," Draco stuttered. 

"Nonetheless, it is a wonderful paper. Your facts, save for a few, are all correct. Your writing style is commendable, your wording clear. It is a fabulous paper. And personally," At this Rhiannon leaned closer to Draco, her tone lowering. "Personally, I think that you are an incredible writer. Please don't squelch your writing talents because of your reputation or perhaps, that your father tells you that you, _stink_." Draco drew up quickly. "It is a wonderful paper and you should be proud. Don't hold back on me any more Mister Malfoy." Rhiannon said with superiority. 

Harry stared at Draco. There was a look in his eyes that didn't show up very often, especially not when he looked at teachers. It was a look of respect. Harry didn't even know if the boy respected Snape, but here he was respecting his D.A.D.A. teacher. It seemed strange and foreign to Harry, and excessively so to Ron, whose mouth continued to hang open. "Now gentleman, I suppose you want to get out of here so you can practice for the big game today." Rhiannon said warmly. Immediately, all three boys drew up proudly. "I hope you'll all be safe and you'll watch for winds. Those can be particularly _treacherous_." Rhiannon said quietly. Harry cocked his head as he stared at his teacher. 

Her eyes were fixed firmly on all of them, but there was something else in her eyes. What she had said was not merely advice. It seemed to be a _warning_. But a moment later, it cleared and she shuffled the papers about on her desk. "Well boys, get going. I've got things to do if I'm to see the game." Harry nodded, then glanced at the cat, who rubbed up against the black hairs of his head, then jumped down to Rhiannon's desk. 

"Bye, Malificent." Harry said quietly, giving the cat one final pat on it's ebony back. He ignored Draco's scoff, but simply smiled at the cat as he turned to leave. Quickly the boys turned on their heels and walked out of the room. When Harry cast a final glance back at his teacher, he was surprised to see her staring hard at his back, watching him, the cat doing much of the same. 

Quickly, Harry caught up with the boys and stepped out of the room. Draco didn't stay with the boys as they walked from the room, merely gave a half bow to Artemis and Hermione, who walked up as Harry and the others who emerged. _Most likely to Artemis_, Harry thought, and quickly walked away. "What was that all about Harry?" Hermione asked, cocking an eyebrow. 

"She just wanted to give us our Apparitions and Wraiths papers back." Harry murmured. 

"All together? We're not supposed to get those back till tomorrow." Artemis mused. Harry simply shook his head, trying to figure out what his teacher had been trying to tell him.

That week, the week before the first Quidditch match, Harry didn't think much about the ghost's question put to him through Ron. In truth, he hadn't thought _anything_ about ghosts, "The Master's Mirror", or the eyes, or anything. Especially not Martin Wothes. He forgot all about them in his training for the first game, but he was quickly reminded of them when Professor Dumbledore made an announcement before the first Quidditch game. "Students, before this first Quidditch match, I'd like to bring back to our minds a person, a student who has left us. He played Quidditch with a fiery spirit and a will, you can ask any Quidditch player. He played with an inner passion and encouraged others to do the same. Not just in his own House, but in other Houses. He never told anyone, but he was offered the chance to play Quidditch for Britain as soon as he got out of Hogwarts, but he wasn't sure if thats what he wanted to do." There was a relative grumble of surprise at that announcement. Harry frowned. He wasn't sure who Dumbledore was speaking of, but apparently everyone else did.

"Martin Wothes was an excellent student, an excellent friend, an excellent wizard, an excellent being. Now we will have a moment of silence for our dear friend, Martin Wothes." Heads all over the field bowed silently, till only Harry's remained upright. When the name 'Martin Wothes' was called out, it seemed to echo and a furious wind seemed to impart itself over the field in a fit of anger. Something wasn't right. Yes, something was definetly wrong. The atmosphere had suddenly changed. Where the sun had a moment ago shone brightly, it was now covered in clouds. Where the wind had barely been blowing, it now gusted upon the field, blowing hats away and tousling the Quidditch players' hair. Harry looked up over at the Slytherin team across the field. The company's heads were bowed, save one. Draco Malfoy's head was raised and he was looking at Harry, a smug smile on his face, his hands over his pockets. It was only then that Harry remembered his teacher's words: 

__

"I hope you'll all be safe and you watch for winds. Those can be particularly **treacherous**." 

Harry was not surprised to hear a few sobs echo across the field from the stands. It was depressing actually. Sad that possibly he and Ron and the others had been the last persons to see Martin Wothes before his death. "Hey Harry!" Harry blinked out of his thoughtful silence and turned around to face Ron. Ron's face was pale, but he was grinning, which was a good sign. "You okay?" He whispered. 

"Yeah, just fine." He whispered back. Ron nodded. 

"It'll be okay you know. Nothing's gonna happen. You know that right?" He asked quietly. 

"Yeah, but things just got so weird all of a sudden." Harry murmured, before he was cut off by Madame Hooch's loud order. 

"UP IN THE AIR! C'mon now! I want a fair game and a good game! NO INJURIES!" She bellowed as they swooped into the air. 

"Hey Madame, what happens if I break my arm?" George called out cheerily. Madame Hooch glared at him. 

"Then you get detention!" She snapped.

George grinned at Fred who shrugged and grinned back. "READY!! GO!" Madame Hooch yelled when all players were in position. She tossed the Quaffle in the air and Artemis quickly grabbed it and swooped off towards the Keeper. Harry noticed that like Ron, her face was pale, but a small smile was on her face as she dove in and out of the players. As one of the Slytherin players darted for her, she quickly tossed the Quaffle to Alicia Spinnet, who dove down the field to make a score. There was a loud whoop throughout the bleachers and Lee Jordan ejaculated loudly.

"What a fabulous play executed by Artemis Thornshadow and Alicia Spinnet! Take that, you Slytherin scum-bags! Didn't think a couple little girls could keep you on your toes did ya? Oh sorry, Professor. They deserved it. Anyway, the Quaffle is thrown into play once more, Ooh! That was a close one! But thanks to the remarkable _FRED WEASLEY_, that bludger won't be knocking out Alicia's brains anytime soon. Okay, Alicia's got the Quaffle, going for the goals,.....going, going,........and she's almost knocked out of play by that little mouse-dung, Xander Corpor and his bloody bludger!" At this Lee uttered a horrible stream of swear words, which caused the poor Professor McGonagall to nearly have a heart attack.

"Sorry Professor, needed to get that out of my system. Well folks, the score is ten to zero, with Gryffindor in the lead! And after that performance of _TERRIBLY BAD FORM_, we're back on schedule. Artemis Thornshadow's got the Quaffle and is speeding down towards the goal. Fred and George Weasley are working as hard as they can to keep the bludgers from going nuts and their brother, _LITTLE RON WEASLEY_, is gallantly holding down the fort as Keeper! So far, there's been no sign of the Snitch, but don't worry. It's likely to show up. It always seems to whenever Harry Potter is on the field!" Harry smiled and shook his head as he heard the rush of applause and cheers. He watched as Artemis, her face more determined than ever, rushed towards the goal, faked a shot, then scored. Twenty points for Gryffindor.

Harry realized as the Quaffle was thrown into play that the Slytherins were mad. Not mad, _furious_. They weren't going to let anything like that pass by them again, and they proved it by smacking Artemis in the back with a bludger as she sailed triumphantly by. Artemis jolted and hunched her back in pain as the bludger hit her, her legs slipping from their wedged position on the broom. Harry watched in horror as Artemis slipped from her broom, her face white. From behind him, a whir of red blew past him as he saw one of the twins, George, dive near her, but pull himself up a few feet away from her. Harry quickly saw why. Artemis had managed to grasp her broomstick with one hand and was now holding on for dear life, her face still crumpled in pain. A second bludger sailed towards the girl, aimed at her dangling legs, but George quickly sent it flying in an opposite direction.

Artemis winced and began to pull herself up on her broomstick weakly. Harry looked back at Ron, and his friend returned a frightened stare, one that said, _this is getting bad_. Harry nodded in agreement before turning back to Artemis. The game was still going on around them. Fred was batting bludgers away as fast as he could, his sweaty red hair falling into his equally red face as he blocked them. Alicia Spinnet whirled around and around the other players, keeping away from them and getting knocked about in the process. George remained a safe distance near Artemis, his face set and intense as he watched her slow ascent. Finally, she reached a sitting position on her broomstick, her face pale and sick. She answered a concerned question put to her by George, then sped off down the field. George watched her, perhaps to make sure she didn't fall off again, then sped down by his twin.

"That was close." Harry muttered as he kept his eyes moving around the field, looking for the golden Snitch. In the confusion of Artemis' fall, the Quaffle had fallen into Slytherin hands. Quickly, the boy that Harry knew only as Craig Hollong, Slytherin's new Chaser, sped down towards Ron, determination in his fair face. Fred quickly sped a bludger his way, but Craig dodged it easily. From the opposite side of the field, George batted a bludger near the boy, who again dodged it. With a fierce look, Fred and George sent bludgers flying from opposite sides of the field. Harry had to admire the boy's skill, for it could not be easy dodging the Weasley twins' crossfire.

He made it down to the goals and hovered in front of Ron, determining his move. "Wait for it Ron. Wait for it." Harry muttered under his breath. Ron's face was pale but determined as he gazed at the Slytherin boy. Craig faked a move, but Ron was not fooled. He didn't have five older brothers for nothing. He snatched the Quaffle out of the air as Craig swooped out of his fake. A roar emerged from the Gryffindor crowd as Ron triumphantly tossed the Quaffle to Angelina Johnson. "Way to go Ron!" Harry called. Ron grinned widely and gave him a thumbs-up that all too quickly vanished as Craig made a second run on Ron. This time he didn't hesitate, but took a chance and tossed the Quaffle at the goals. It barely made it in, but it brushed past Ron's fingertips and slipped into the goal. 

Craig whooped loudly and dove away. There was disappointment in Ron's eyes as he saw the score rise: 20-10. Harry shook his head. "Its okay Ron! We'll get 'em!" Harry called. Ron shook his head and nodded half-heartedly. After a series of slick moves, the Chasers attempted to make a come-back, but Craid Hollong was too full of victory to let them. Another goal was made and the Gryffindor crowd let loose moans and groans. As Harry ducked his head in sadness, a glint of gold flashed out of the corner of his eye. He didn't whirl about but simply moved his head about as if scanning the field as he always did. There, only a few feet away, _was the Snitch_. A slow smile spread across Harry's face as he looked about. Draco wasn't even looking at him. He grinned full-heartedly now and took chase after the Snitch.

The Snitch's wings fluttered wildly as it sensed Harry's dive, and the golden ball swooped from his grasping fingers. Harry pushed his broomstick as hard as it could go, then reached out to grasp the thing as soon as it was in reach. So focused was he that he was surprised to feel a bone-shattering jolt hit him, nearly knocking him from his broomstick. Beside him was Draco Malfoy, and his hand was stretching out for the Snitch. Harry let out a roar of anger and shoved into the boy, causing him to falter in mid-air. But it didn't give Harry much time. The two boys groaned and struggled for an advantage over the other, but to no avail. Their fingertips were just a centimeter close from brushing the fluttering wings of the Snitch when..............._it happened_.

To Harry, it felt as if the very air began to vibrate with an angry, pulsing energy, then was silent a moment. Then the whole universe seemed to explode. Harry flew back from the Snitch, falling with his broomstick, hurtling to the ground. He tried to pull himself up, but could not, the crushing winds surrounding him, flinging him about. In truth, he would have hit the ground had he not caught an updraft at just the last moment. He was thrust upwards once again and tossed about like a leaf in the wind. As he was flung about in the thrashing winds, he realized that these were not ordinary winds. 

Not only were they abnormally ferocious, but they seemed to suck something from him, his fears, his terrors. Its sucked them from him, but at the same time, shoved the horrors before his eyes tauntingly. He could not look, but they entered his mind, his dying parents, Cedric's death, _Voldemort_. He hung on for dear life, his eyes closed. But finally, as if in defiance of the terror that attacked him, he decided to open his eyes. The entire Quidditch field looked as if it had been ransacked. The field was littered with trash and debris, the stands equally so. But it was only then that Harry realized, that the debris was not trash, but people.

He gasped for breath as he was tossed about angrily in the winds. Then all of a sudden, everything was still. He looked downwards and saw only a few figures standing in the wreck, their black robes waving in the wind. On either sides of the field, stood Rhiannon Flutterae and Severus Snape, both yelling into the air. But Harry did not have time to react, for before he was tossed about once more on the explosion of wind, a hideous sign appeared before his eyes. _The sign of Voldemort_, the Dark Mark. The skull's hideous eyes seemed to glow green before he was hit with another blast of cold, hard terror. Wind thrust him about, finally slamming him into one of the tall stone pillars surrounding the Quidditch field. As he slipped to the ground, a phrase echoed through his head, along with the horrific vision of the skull and viper, that even now burned into the skies above him. It was not the phrase that had entered his mind in the past, but a different one, but as mysterious as the first, and spelled with equal doom, 

__

Now I do frown on thee with all my heart,

And, if mine eyes can wound, now let them kill thee.

**************

"Harry, Harry hear my voice. Wake up Harry." Harry did not want to listen to the soothing voice that wafted into his groggy mind. But with the gentleness, came an air of authority, one he knew he must, whether he liked it or not, obey. Groggily, he opened his eyes and quickly closed them again with a cry as he saw darkness and felt a white-hot pain burn his eyes. Quickly, something cool was spread over his throbbing eyes with soothing fingers. He waited a moment, then tentatively opened his eyes again. He almost cried out once more, but not from pain, as he saw the dark eyes of Severus Snape staring down at him, his fingers tentatively raised over the bottle in his hand. But then, Rhiannon's face appeared in front of him, her hands gently stroking his hair. 

"Its alright Harry. Everything is alright. How do you feel?" She asked, her eyes smiling kindly, though her lips were set in a firm line. Harry froze a moment, sensing what felt wrong and what felt right in his body. _Despite the fact that I feel exactly like I felt after after my experience with the Whomping Willow, I feel fine. _He thought wryly. 

"I think I'm alright, Professor Flutterae." He managed to croak out through parched lips. The younger professor smiled again, then her head darted up as she heard someone call to her. She stood and placed a hand on Severus' arm. "I think he'll be alright now, Severus. Just keep a close watch on him. We must tend to the others." She said firmly, giving a comforting smile to Harry as she quickly rushed away. 

Harry glanced at the Professor, who eyed him silently. "Close your eyes." He said suddenly. Harry jolted with surprise, but did as the Professor ordered. Almost immediately, he felt the soothing liquid pass over his burning eyes. He opened them again to find the Professor wiping his fingers on a towel and corking the bottle in his hand, still gazing at him stonily. "Your eyes were still red. They could be infected without proper care, which I alone can give." He said, as if it explained his gesture, before walking quickly away. Harry stared after him for a moment, unsure of what to think before he turned towards the sound of a gasp that was uttered near him.

Rhiannon was bent over a figure that two tall red-headed boys held in their arms. The Weasley twins' heads were bleeding terribly, a long gash on each of their faces, their arms peppered with long stripes as if they'd been whipped. But they didn't seem to notice their wounds, for both their eyes were fixed on the person they held in their arms. Harry tried to sit up as he realized who the person they carried was, but failed, falling backwards with a moan. It was Ron. Rhiannon quickly motioned for a few blankets to be laid down on the ground, then the twins lowered the boy onto them. Harry only caught sight of the boy's pale, bloodied face before the twins' backs hid him from his sight.

Rhiannon drew a bottle from her pocket and spread it over the younger Weasley, feeling his pulse intermittantly. She nodded firmly to herself, running her hand over the boy's head. Then she quickly stood and pulled the closest twin, Fred, to her. She ran her hands over his face, much to his disgust, as she probed his wounds. He cried out in pain as she slipped some of the concoction on his gash, then bit his lip as she quickly wound a bandage over his head. She whispered soft words to him as she put the cooling potion over his other wounds. He rolled up his sleeves to show her to the whip-like lashes, which she covered with the potion. 

After she whispered something in his ear, she turned to the other twin and dealt with him in much the same manner. Harry was surprised to notice the utmost gentleness as she dealt with the twins, almost as if it had been Mrs. Weasley herself. He frowned as he squinted at the twins in the oncoming darkness. The twins' wounds seemed seemed strange somehow. Out of place. It was then that he realized that their wounds were identical. _Identical wounds for identical twins._ He thought to himself, shuddering inwardly, before he slipped into unconsciousness.

When he finally came out of his stupor, he was still lying on the deathly silent Quidditch field. A heavy blanket covered him up to his chin, but even so, he still shivered with cold. Darkness had come to Hogwarts, the last ribbons of light streaming across the horizon. Harry weakly lifted his head to look around him, noticing with surprise that he was not alone. All around him were fallen students, the teachers walking among them cautiously. He heard a moan by his side and he quickly turned. Ron lay beside him, his face whiter than it had been before, his body wracked with shivers and jolts. Harry's breathing quickened as he watched his friend gasp for breath. "Professor! Professor, anybody." He croaked weakly. He could barely speak. His throat felt as though he had swallowed saw-dust.

Professor McGonagall seemed to appear out of nowhere as she knelt beside the youngest Weasley boy, concern apparent in her face. "Professor Flutterae, I think you need to tend to this one!" She called softly, but alarm still creeping into her voice. Rhiannon was by her side in a moment, looking at Ron carefully, feeling his pulse and his sweaty face. She opened one of his eye-lids, then dropped it as if it was on fire. She sat back a moment, then pulled a vial from her pocket, uncorking it and tossing the cork off to the side. Ron began to thrash more violently, and his arms struggled to free themselves from the blankets on top of them. With determination in her stare, Rhiannon placed one firm hand on the boy's chest, then opened his mouth with the other, shoving the contents of the vial into his mouth. 

Ron let loose a cry and was still after a moment, his breathing finally becoming normal once more. Rhiannon sighed and sat back on her heels. "Professor, we will need hollyhock potion and fast. Otherwise the whole lot of these children will be going into fits, and many may die." She said softly. 

"I understand Professor, but we do not have the means to make that potion for basically the entire school! It is almost impossible." Professor McGonagall explained. Rhiannon eyed the teacher firmly. 

"_Almost_." She said, determination lacing her voice. Professor McGonagall seemed to turn pale, then red as she spoke to the younger teacher angrily. 

"I will not allow you to attempt that. Not under any circumstances." She said crisply.

"Professor, its the only way. These students must have it or they," Rhiannon paused a moment, unable to say the words, but finding that impossible. "They could die." She whispered. Professor McGonagall said nothing, but stared at the teacher. "I have already decided. I am going to go into the Forbidden Forest, get the hollyhock, return. It's as easy as that." Harry's blood chilled in his veins. He now understood why Professor McGonagall was so adament against Rhiannon's plan. It was now nightfall and the Forbidden Forest was particularly treacherous at that time. It was suicide. 

"It is _not_ as easy as that!" Professor McGonagall hissed. "Does Severus even know about this?" She barked. Rhiannon stiffened, but shook her head. 

"No, and I don't want him to know. He wouldn't let me go otherwise." She said quietly. 

"And wisely so." The Professor retorted.

Rhiannon did not take heed of her words and instead stood, shouldering a large sack over her back. "I'll be back soon. I'll be alright. The rest of you take care of the children. They need your help now." She said quietly. Professor McGonagall did not respond but instead shook her head, dropping it to look at Ron, who now lay breathing quietly. 

`"Professor!" Harry croaked as Rhiannon began to walk away. She paused and turned around to face him, her eyes glistening in the impending moonlight. "Please don't go alone." He whispered. 

"You see! Even the boy knows more than you." Professor McGonagall protested. At that Rhiannon chuckled as she stooped by Harry. 

"Don't worry Harry. I'll be alright. I'm a good hider and I can sneak around incredibly well, almost like," At this she flashed a grin towards Professor McGonagall before continuing. "Like a cat." She smiled, running her hand across his face. Harry sighed and closed his eyes as Rhiannon stood once more, preparing herself to walk away into the twilight.

Professor McGonagall stood upon hearing her name being called and walked briskly from Ron and Harry's side. Harry's eyes opened wide though a moment later when he heard a soft voice call Rhiannon's name. "Professor Flutterae, where are you going?" Draco whispered. Rhiannon stopped again and turned toward the boy, who walked up to her. 

"I will be back. Don't worry." She whispered, preparing to walk off. 

"I think Artemis Thornshadow needs some of that potion you have." He said quietly. There was a long silence before Rhiannon spoke again. 

"I have no more Draco." 

"_What?_"

Draco's words were crisp and full of disbelief as he stared at the Professor in front of him. Rhiannon was not a tall person, indeed, people like Severus Snape made her look like a midget. Even Draco was close to towering over her, needing only a few more inches to do so. In the darkness that was spread over the Quidditch field, she looked smaller than ever as she stared at Draco. "I have no more." She whispered again. 

"Well what are we going to do about it? She has to have more! She could die!" He whispered harshly. 

"Don't you think I realize that?" Rhiannon asked coldly. She flinched then spoke again, her voice kinder. 

"I'm going to get more hollyhock now. But you can't tell anyone. No one should know. Understand?" She whispered. Draco stared hard at her a moment before nodding silently. Rhiannon lifted her hand and settled it on Draco's arm gently. "Be patient. All will come to pass in the manner you desire." She whispered in an small, wistful tone. Harry stared at the sky now, filled with stars, trying not to look at Draco, who now stood alone, watching Rhiannon slink around the students on the ground for her goal. Draco stood still a moment, then turned to look at Harry.

Harry, seeing that eye-contact was unavoidable, met his gaze. "Did you hear that?" Draco whispered. Harry nodded silently. "Don't tell anyone." Draco whispered. Harry's eyes widened in surprise. 

"I know, she told me not to tell." He croaked. Draco nodded. 

"Then keep your promise." He whispered, beginning to walk off. 

"Draco!" Harry called out weakly. Draco turned and eyed him impatiently. 

"What about everyone else? Hermione, Artemis, Fred, George and," Harry was cut off by a wave of Draco's hand. 

"Your little Mudblood got hit pretty bad. She's in worse shape than the others. Those Weasleys," He said it like a dirty word. "They'll be alright I guess. One of them had a really bad time of it, but they say he'll be alright." He said with a nonchalant shrug. Harry tried to raise himself, but fell backwards. 

"Which one?" He croaked. Draco eyed him curiously and scoffed. "How should I know? Can anyone ever tell them apart? Greg, Griff, Grose," Draco started naming off names, but was cut off by Harry. 

George?" He whispered.

Draco shrugged and scoffed again. "Like I said, how should I know? But that sounds like that could be it." He said. 

"What about Artemis?" Draco's white face became especially stony, his skin looking a smooth as ivory in the moonlight. 

"She'll be fine. Thats what the teachers say. She'll be just fine. _I_ know it." Harry noticed that there was especial conviction in Draco's 'I', and it puzzled him, but he didn't have that much time as Draco raised a lone finger and pointed at Ron. "Whats with him?" He asked. Harry shook his head slowly. 

"I don't know. Same thing that happened to the rest of us I guess." He murmured. Draco shook his head in mock sadness. 

"They say it happens to the best of us, but I think they made an exception." He said with a cruel smile. Just then another boy walked up to Draco and tugged on his sleeve. "What is it Crabbe?" Draco barked. "

I think Artemis is waking up and you said for me to come tell you if she," He started. 

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Draco snapped. "See you around Potter." He said quickly, walking off in another direction, followed closely by Crabbe.

Thoughts swirled through Harry's mind as the groans of his companions and fellow students echoed in his ears. George had taken a turn for the worse, George's eyes had changed mysteriously that day in Flourish and Botts. The same went for Artemis. Hermione was having an awful time of it, as were Fred and Ron and himself. But Draco......Draco was walking around perfectly well. Not a scratch had marred his white face. Harry now realized that the same went for Crabbe. Crabbe too was uninjured. _What is going on?_ His sleepy mind groaned. But he didn't have time to ponder it any further as a dark figure flew down beside him, startling him terribly.

"Mister Potter, tell me where Professor Flutterae went." Harry quickly recognized the cool, harsh voice of Severus Snape that burned in his ear. The Professor knelt above him, his dark hair wild and hanging in his dark eyes. 

"I don't know." Harry stuttered. The Professor shook his head and put a hand on Harry's arm. 

"Tell me where she is Harry. It's a matter of life and death." He hissed. Harry realized something through his whirling thoughts as he thought of what to tell the Professor. _He called me Harry. Thats the first time. He must be really concerned or something. Either that or he's going crazy. Whats going on!?_ His mind moaned.

"I think, I'm not sure, I think she went in the Forbidden Forest." He muttered. For the first time in Harry's short life, he heard Severus Snape swear. He jumped to his feet without saying anything more and ran away, his dark robes billowing behind him. But then, Harry rubbed his eyes. It seemed as though, well, he thought he saw, but no. He thought he had seen Professor Snape disappear in mid-stride, but then again..........it wasn't possible. That thing, that person in the air on that broomstick, it could not be Professor Snape. But it was and Harry noticed before he slipped back into unconsciousness, that he was heading into the heart of the Forbidden Forest. 

**************

For a while after he finally slept, Harry could comprehend the voices surrounding him, could hear the quick footsteps of those who could move, as they ran among the injured, serving them potions that would bring them back from their pain. His own pain was growing immeasurably, throbbing violently in his head and chest, but he didn't wish to call for someone. He didn't think he was that bad off. There were most likely others who were were off than he was. 

"Professor, she has not returned yet. She is taking too long." Harry's mind slowly registered the low voice near him as Professor McGonagall's, but he was too weary and too pained to open his eyes.

"I know, Minerva. We are doing alright for now. We will live until Professor Flutterae returns." Harry recognized this voice as well, for it belonged to none other than the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.

"It is not just the hollyhock potion I'm worried about, Albus!" Professor McGonagall said, a frenzied note in her voice. "This is the beginning! Voldemort's first strike! We are running out of time! And with Fudge slowing things down at the Ministry, honestly, I don't know what we shall do! Arthur Weasley is doing his best, but, oh Albus! The children!"

"I know, Minerva. I know." Dumbledore's thoughts were interrupted as Harry felt a slight vibration from a body that stepped up to the two teachers.

"Professors, I searched the whole fron' of the forest, an' there's no hide nor hair of them ter be found." Hagrid's rough voice said quietly. A strangled cry was emitted from Professor McGonagall's throat as she listened, but Harry heard nothing from Dumbledore.

"And Professor Snape has not returned either?" Dumbledore's voice was quiet and composed, but there was a tremor of resolution in it's depths.

"No sir. No one's come back."

"I see. Hagrid, you must push Olympe to work harder. You may even have to leave to help her."

"But Professor! Wha' about the teachin'? The kids'll need their learnin'!"

"I'm afraid this is far more important, Hagrid. You must help her if she makes no progress in the next few days. I cannot allow something like this to befall our children again."

"Yes, sir."

"I have had contact with Sirius Black and Lupin. They are both in hiding, but they have managed to contact the old crowd, all those who are loyal to us and our cause. They are willing to help and will be alert and ready as soon as you and Olympe can bring this to a close."

"It'll be hard, Professor. They're righ' hard ter convince, they are."

"They are worried and unsure of our promises, but you two must convince them. We cannot allow Voldemort on these grounds again." 

"Yes, sir. I'll send her an owl righ' now. Professors."

Harry felt the tremor in the ground die away as Hagrid shuffled off away from the teachers. There was an uneasy silence until Dumbledore spoke again. 

"Minerva, make sure that we spread the potion out as far as we can. And get me as soon as Severus or Rhiannon return." 

"Yes, of course, Albus." There was another pause before Professor Dumbledore's voice sounded again, but this time it sounded as if he was holding back his tears and true emotions.

"These children are in pain, and I refuse to get through this attack unscathed while they lose their lives needlessly. This is Tom's game. Part of the plan, if we can only figure out what it is." 

Harry's body trembled as Dumbledore's words echoed about in his brain as his mind swirled. The pain was more intense now, and he wished for someone to help him. But now that he wanted help, he could not longer call for it. His body had frozen, and the material world had vanished.

Harry's body felt as though it was on fire. He seemed to be burning slowly but surely, the agonizing moments dragging him further and further from the life he knew. All the terrifying moments of his life seemed to pass before his eyes. Every agonizing moment seemed to add faggots to the fire that consumed him. Dead eyes stared at him, stared through him as he writhed, trying to escape the fire that licked at his body. He pushed back as hard as he could, seeing the hideous sign of Voldemort resting just beyond the flames, its image reflected in the plain sheet of glass behind it. _The Master's Mirror_. Just as Harry felt that he was being pushed away from all he'd ever loved, it seemed as though a cooling breeze fell over him.

His ears suddenly began to comprehend the things going on around him. He heard voices, Professor McGonagall's, her cry of disbelief, but her immediate action as she threw herself beside him. He felt his mouth forced open and a substance like ice falling down his throat. The fire writhed and screamed as it fell upon it, destroying the flames with one touch. Before long even the skull and snake began to disappear, but one thing remained. The mirror stood alone, the sign of Voldemort reflecting in its glassy surface. "Potter, Potter wake up now. Wake up, Harry." He did not want to wake up. Though he had been saved from the fire, his eyes were too heavy to open.

"Come now, Harry." Came Professor McGonagall's patient voice. Finally, he opened his eyes to the world around him. Ribbons of light, signifying the coming of the dawn appeared on the horizon, casting light all around him. More of the students had been roused and they sat by their companions, swathed in bandages and continually being pressed to drink potions. They looked around them with sad and weary eyes as if still unable to believe the massacre that had occurred. He looked questioningly into Professor McGonagall's face and was surprised to see her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. But she quickly blinked them back and put her hand on his. "Its good to have you back my dear." She murmured.

Harry blinked repeatedly, trying to understand her. "Back? From where?" He whispered. The Professor shook her head sadly. 

"Who knows where you were. Who knows where any of the others were, but they were suffering. You took a turn for the worst and everyone almost gave out hope. And they would have if," Professor McGonagall stopped abruptly as if she'd said too much. Harry leaned up on his elbows, squinting at the Professor. 

"Did Professor Flutterae make it back?" He asked. Again, the worried look passed over the Professor's face as she hesitated. 

"She did not return, but one of our students brought back the holly-hock from the forest." She said slowly. 

"Who was it?" Harry whispered. "Mister Malfoy." Harry fell back on his elbows hard. The Professor saw it and put out an anxious hand to support his back. 

"Now then lie down, Potter. You look faint." She said kindly. 

"But why? How?" Harry croaked out as she pushed him down. 

"He went out after Professor Flutterae and Professor Snape after they didn't return for several hours. He found the sack and Professor Snape who told him to take it." The Professor explained. 

"Where was Professor Flutterae?" Harry continued. Professor McGonagall seemed to blanche a moment before she continued again, slowly. 

"She was not with him. He was still looking for her." Harry watched her uneasily, suddenly remembering the teacher's conversation with Dumbledore and Hagrid.

"Professor, where's Hagrid?" The teacher's face twitched slightly as she stared down at him. Then she slowly stood and brushed the grass clippings from her robes. 

"Hagrid is in the castle on business for Professor Dumbledore. Don't you worry about Professor Flutterae and Professor Snape. They'll be back soon, Potter. Don't you worry about that." She said firmly as she walked away. Harry sat back on the pillow on the ground and stared at the brightening sky in disbelief. He frowned as he felt a brush of fur against his hand, then smiled as Malificent's green eyes gleamed at him in the darkness. The cat settled down beside him, allowing him to rest his hand on her back as she purred.

"Hey Harry." Harry quickly turned towards the gravely, croaking voice and found himself face to face with Ron. Ron gave a weak smile and a half-hearted wave before closing his eyes in exhaustion. 

"Hello Ron. How do you feel?" Harry whispered. Ron shrugged as best he could, wincing as he did so. 

"Alright I suppose. Got knocked up pretty bad. When those winds came, I kept getting knocked against the goal posts. Was even hanging on one of the goals for a while before I finally fell off. Got knocked against a pillar. Madame Pomfrey told me that I broke my arm in _three_ places and busted my knee-cap, and then some bruises and scratches. Pretty good for all that bashing I say." Ron said weakly. 

Harry shook his head. "Unreal." He paused a moment, continuing quietly a moment later. "Did you hear what the Professor said?" Ron was silent, but finally opened his eyes and nodded slowly. "She left hours upon hours ago and she hasn't come back yet. Do you think she's, _dead_?" Harry whispered, his tone taking on a horrified air. He was tremendously surprised as Ron raised himself up, his eyes blazing as he stared at Harry, his lips in a thin, firm line. 

"I've known Rhiannon Flutterae since I was a little kid and I've never seen her not come out of bad situations before. She'll _come back_." He said fiercely. Harry stared at him calmly as he slowly came out of the fit of anger, slowly settling back on his makeshift bed before he murmured, "She'll come back." Harry nodded and laid back on his pillow. 

"Of course she will, Ron." He whispered, but it was hard to believe the words that he said. 

"What were you talkin' about before? About Hagrid?" Ron asked quietly. Harry shook his head slowly, trying to ignore the pain. 

"I overheard Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall talking with Hagrid. They were talking about Hagrid having to leave and help Oly-, Madame Maxime with something. Somethin' about somebody being hard to convince. Then they started talking about Sirius and Professor Lupin and the old crowd being in hiding." Harry murmured, not wishing to attract any attention. Ron stared at Harry in disbelief.

"Something about somebody being hard to convince?" Ron whispered. Harry frowned and nodded.

"Yeah. Why?" Ron stared at him a moment later, then shook his head slowly, his eyes fixed on the ground.

"There's only one thing he could be talkin' about, Harry. Remember that day last year when Fudge came to see you after the Tri-Wizard Tournament and Dumbledore told him off? Well, Dumbledore told him to make peace with the giants. Gory hell, Harry! Hagrid is tryin' to get the giants to be on our side." Ron whispered devoutly. Harry stared at Ron, his weary brain taking all this information in. It all now made sense. Hagrid possibly having to leave, the situation he was working on with Madame Maxime. Everything. But it was too much to take in. Later, later, after he got some sleep.

Harry had closed his eyes for only a moment when he was awoken once more by the a cool breeze, accompanied by the frenzied talking around him and Ron's sudden jerk of his body as he sat upright. Harry too did the same, after he saw the scene unfolding before him. Severus Snape landed smoothly on the ground, jumping off his broomstick as soon as his feet touched the earth. He rushed through the crowd that had gathered around him, trying to find a spot of clear earth. Harry soon saw why. 

Lying in his arms, limp and unresponsive, was Rhiannon Flutterae, her scratched and bleeding head falling back across his arms, her lips open slightly, her eyes staring widely at nothing. Harry tried hard to get to his feet, but he was too weak. He could only watch as the Professor laid the younger teacher at his feet, then knelt down beside her, barking orders to those around him. They quickly brought him the potions and ingredients he asked for, Harry noticing for the first time that the teachers had moved a great deal of the potions and ingredients from Snape's classroom down to the Quidditch field. Harry looked down in time to see Malificent scurry from his hand and rush to the scene where her owner lay on the ground.

The students who surrounded Snape stared with great interest, babbling to themselves loudly until Snape yelled loudly. "SILENCE!" There was infinite quiet before Snape spoke again. "Move out of the way if all you are going to do is stand there and gawk and babble. I need room to work." He said crisply. At the additional urging of the teachers, the students backed off and stood a great distance away. This left a wide open space for Harry and Ron to see what was happening. It was a horrific sight to see Rhiannon's slack jaw and staring eyes, almost like holes in her white face. Professor Snape worked hurriedly, loosening the robes that seemed to choke the girl, and combining several ingredients into a potion. He rested his hand gently on her neck, waiting for some response. For a second time, Harry heard Snape swear. Ron turned and stared at Harry, open-mouthed. Harry smiled and nodded. 

"Thats the second time I've heard him swear." He said. Ron shook his head incredulously. 

"He's a jolly good swearer." He said in disbelief before quickly turning back to the scene.

Snape angrily brushed away a bit of his robe that got in his way as he fumbled about on the ground among the potions he held. One in particular, one that shone a white-pink, glistened in his hand as he added one last ingredient, watched it smoke, then poured it into the younger teacher's slack mouth. He sat back to wait. Professor McGonagall hovered over him, waiting and watching. Dumbledore, who had been visiting with the children who had recovered, stepped close as well. After a moment, Rhiannon's eyes closed and her lips met each other slowly. Snape nodded slowly, before picking up his wand that lay at his side. He held it over Rhiannon's head, then waved it slightly while whispering, so low Harry could barely hear, "_Excito_!"

For a moment, nothing happened. Ron and Harry could not take their eyes off the scene, Ron because of his caring for her, Harry for the same reason, but also for another reason. He had seen this happen before, if she did wake up that is. Slowly, her eyelids began to flutter, until she opened them completely and stared at Professor Snape. Immediately, Professor Snape brusquely called for a blanket and pillow, which were hastily brought to him. The cat, Malificent, rubbed around Snape's ankles, then settled down beside Rhiannon. Snape glanced down at the cat, then whispered a few harsh words to the younger professor before tucking the blanket around her and walking off quickly, checking on other students as he did so. Ron slowly turned to Harry, who eyed him seriously. They had both seen that before, a long time ago on the Weasley's kitchen floor.

************************************************************************

**__**

Author's Note: I'd like to thank all my lovely reviewers, all of you who took the time to say how much you liked the story or how I could improve it. Your help has been immeasurable and I am so grateful for every single one of you and your input! Input is a great help to me and is a great help in shaping this story.

Sara Minks: Thanks for your faithful reviewing!! I'm eagerly awaiting the next chapter to your story!! ;-)

Hollie: Hollie luv, you're amazing! You're usually always my first reviewer whenever I update and you tell me exactly what you think about it! Thank you SO much! I am so blessed to have a great buddy like you! You keep up your stories, ALL of them!!! I really can't wait to see what happens in them all! 

Whether Rose: Gosh I love your name, by the way. Don't think I've ever said that, but I do. Thank you for your input! You get into so much detail and I LOVE that! I am so grateful that you take the time to give me such detailed input! It helps me so much to understand what people may be thinking about the story, and what I could change, etc. And also thank you with your help with my format and grammer techniques, etc. I'm still working it out! ;-) Thank you so much! I was so happy to receive all your reviews, and was really glad that you didn't forget about me! ;-) I'm really glad you like Artemis, and I'm really glad that you're trying to take the clues I've been giving (there's quite a few since the beginning) and trying to figure out what's going on. ;-) Hope you can figure it out! Oh yeah, and I did come up with the constrogos on my own. My own creation, they are. Usually if they aren't in the books, then they're mine. Usually. You can ask though, and I'll tell you in this handy-dandy little 'Thank You' section. ;-) Thank you so much for all your input. And don't worry about the length of your reviews! I love long ones! It shows that you're really getting into the story! ;-) Can't wait to see what happens in your story!! And I hope you feel better soon!! Here's some a Get-Well rose for my buddy Whether Rose! @------- :-)

Kora: Kora, my buddy, my number 1 fan, you rock! You are so sweet to review my little story! I hope you feel better and don't have the plague anymore! ;-)

Torrential Zephyr: You are awesome!! I love your stories! The ones I've read are amazing and I can't wait to see what happens! I did read your re-editing of "Harry Potter and the Lost Year", but ff.net wouldn't let me review to tell you how great it was!! Keep up the writing! Thank you for the greatly detailed reviews as well! Your input is so very much appreciated! Thank you!

Thank you guys! You all rock!! 


	10. Falling Down to Earth

****

CHAPTER 10.

FALLING DOWN TO EARTH

A few hours later, the students were able to be moved back into the school. Harry was so relieved that he would get to lay down in his own bed, that he almost fell asleep as he was climbing the stairs to his room. _Almost_. That is he would have, had Ron not insisted on waiting in the Gryffindor Common Room for a time. "Why on earth, Ron? C'mon and come to bed. You're tired and I am too." Harry pleaded. Ron glared at him as he settled back in the easy chair. 

"You don't have to stay." He answered. 

"But why won't you come to bed?" Harry asked. Ron shrugged and looked at him stubbornly. 

"I just won't, that's all. Not yet." He said firmly. But though Ron wouldn't specify his reasons, Harry got his answer a moment later, when Hermione, with the help of one of the older Gryffindor girls, limped into the room. Ron jumped to his feet and stood, unsure of what to do. 

"Hermione!" He called before she started up the stairs. Hermione turned slowly as she heard Ron's eager voice, and a slow smile spread across her lips. 

"Ron? I was wondering if you were even still alive." She joked weakly. Ron finally walked over to her and stood awkwardly in front of her, clasping his hands together nervously, his fingers running together tensely as he watched her. Her face was terribly pale and covered with tiny scratches as if she'd been thrust through a pane of glass. Her brown eyes stuck out awkwardly from her face as she looked at Ron, but Ron didn't seem to notice. "I look pretty terrible don't I?" Hermione finally asked, a wistful tone entering her scratched voice. Ron shrugged, but shook his head. 

"Nah, I look worse. Broke my arm and my kneecap. Pretty awful huh?" He asked. Surprise registered on Hermione's face as she gazed at Ron, obviously horrified by the news. "Oh don't worry. Madame Pomfrey fixed 'em up as good as new. I'm alright now." Ron quickly explained. Hermione's face softened. 

"Well thats good. I was beginning to wonder if," She stopped short as a humongous, face-stretching yawn broke out over her face. 

Ron slapped his hand on his forehead and quickly stepped by her, holding out his arm. "Stupid me! You've had it bad and you wanna go to bed, doncha? Well here, lemme help." Ron said. 

"But Ron, you want to go to bed too, don't you?" Hermione protested weakly. Ron waved his hand at her dismissively. 

"Yeah, but I mean, its not like the Girls' Room is that far away! It won't take that much effort. Now c'mon." Ron said stubbornly, putting her arm around his neck. The girl who had formerly been helping Hermione, stared at him with an odd expression, but Ron merely cast a lopsided grin her direction before he began to help Hermione up the steps. Harry smiled and shook his head, then chuckled when he heard a collective shriek as the door to the girls' room was opened. "Hullo ladies!" Ron called cheerfully before he yelled, "OW! Hey! I was just helping, OW! DON'T THROW STUFF AT ME! I'M GOIN'! I'M GOIN'!" In another moment, he was back in the Common Room, panting loudly. He took one look at Harry's mirthful face and pointed at him warningly. "Don't say a word." He warned as he strode past Harry to the Boys' Room. Harry simply shook his head, but didn't say a word.

Harry wasn't a bit surprised when he walked into D.A.D.A. a few days later, that Professor Snape was teaching the class. After the way he'd seen Rhiannon, he was sure that she wouldn't be back for a long time and that he'd be getting ten times the homework he usually got. He glanced over at Ron, whose face was in his hands, his eyes half-open, looking more glazed over than seeing. He nudged Ron and whispered, "Hey, I think you're drooling." Ron finally snapped out of it and chuckled. 

"Twenty points from Gryffindor! No talking in my class, Potter! Obviously Professor Flutterae has been giving you boys too much free reign. But not anymore." Professor Snape said crisply. Ron stifled a groan and dropped his head in his arms, muttering under his breath, 

"I can't wait till the Yule Ball. At least then I'll get a break from Snape."

__

Ron pitched a pretty fit as they emerged from D.A.D.A., formerly his favorite subject, now at the bottom of the list, right behind Potions. "Great! Now not only do I have _yards_ of homework in D.A.D.A., but I've also got to catch up on all the homework in _Potions_! Its not fair to have Snape for two classes! I'll never live to see sixth year!" Ron moaned as he, Harry and Hermione walked out of D.A.D.A. 

"Well Ron, if you would study more," Hermione started. 

"Oh good grief! I _do_ study Hermione! I don't do anything _but_ study!" Ron protested. Hermione raised her eyebrows skeptically. 

"Oh yes, I _know_. Thats why last night you were plotting how to 'catch' bubonic plague so you wouldn't have to do your homework, right?" Harry turned to look at Ron in surprise. Ron's ears grew pink and he shrugged. 

"I'm willing to try anything." He muttered. Hermione pursed her lips, her eyes clearly showing her aggravation.

"Well even if you _could_ catch it, it would get you out of homework, but then you'd have twice as much when you got,"

"Hey Artemis!" Ron quickly managed to cut off Hermione's lecture as Artemis walked out of the hospital wing. She smiled weakly and waved as she walked up to them. 

"Hullo! How was class?" She asked, her voice hoarse and scratched. 

"Perfectly wonderful! We studied the ancient histories of Unsatisfied Spirits. It was quite interesting." Hermione gushed. Artemis raised an eyebrow and turned to Ron.

"It was awful. _Yards_ of homework." He said immediately. Hermione glared hard at Ron while Artemis cracked a smile. 

"Thats what I figured." She sighed dismally. "Suppose I'll have to get caught up after all this is over. That is certainly awful." She murmured. 

"Well if it isn't Tweedle-Dee, Tweedle-_Dum_, and look! The Dodo! And of course Alice. Wonderland isn't complete without Alice." Draco Malfoy said cooly, casting a glance in Artemis' direction. Artemis glared as she shook her head at him. 

"I don't know how you can be so abominable, Draco Malfoy." Draco chuckled and placed a hand on his heart. 

"I do my best, Miss Thornshadow. How are you feeling?" He asked. Ron's mouth dropped open as he stared at Draco. Artemis looked as though she wanted to do the same, but she managed not to, drawing herself up proudly. 

"Why do you want to know?" Draco's eyes glinted and he shrugged. 

"Just checking. Wanted to make sure your _mouth_ was still in working order, but it's obvious that it is by this little demonstration." Draco said calmly. Artemis simply shook her head, saying nothing. "Well so long. Just wanted to check in with the morons of Hogwarts. Its my good deed for the day." Draco said with a sarcastic smile as he pushed his way through the group, although there was plenty of room to get through _around_ them. 

"I really wish that I could punch his lip and get away with it. I'd really like to do that right about now." Ron muttered. Hermione scoffed loudly, causing Ron to stare at her. 

"I'd LOVE to see you try. All you did was stand there like this." At that moment, Hermione dropped her mouth as low as it could go, a very unlady-like position, but she was eager to prove her point. She did just that. Ron turned beet red and began muttering under his breath as the group walked off. 

__

Artemis laughed as Ron stormed off, Hermione following him, now scolding him about getting his homework done. Then, Harry noticed he was alone. Artemis was now the only one with him in the hallway. Artemis coughed and leaned up against the wall of the castle, eyeing Harry wearily. "So, how've you been, Harry? Haven't been able to get out of that hospital wing in ages, seems like." Harry smiled and shrugged. 

"Alright. Snape is doing D.A.D.A. for Professor Flutterae, so its been pure hell the last couple days. Can't wait to get a break." He said, shaking his head.

Artemis laughed and nodded, brushing a blonde strand of hair from her face. "Well, you'll get one soon. Hermione told me that the Yule Ball is coming up. I can't wait! I've never been to a Yule Ball at Hogwarts!" She said excitedly. Harry grinned and nodded. 

"Well, it's okay. I've only been to one and it didn't go over so well. It wasn't the best thing in the world." Artemis laughed and shrugged. 

"You probably didn't have a very good partner. Thats part of the fun of it, getting a good partner who'll keep you from going crazy." She laughed. Harry joined in, then stopped dead. 

Last year, he'd gone with Parvati Patil and it had been a disaster. But _this_ year. This year he had no one to go with. That is, he hadn't asked anyone. And yet, here in front of him was someone who actually _wanted_ to go. He liked Artemis. Her sense of humor would certainly keep him laughing and he wouldn't mind getting to know her better. Perhaps, perhaps.

"Say, Artemis. Has anyone asked you to go to the ball yet?" Harry asked tentatively. Artemis frowned thoughtfully, then shook her head. 

"Nope. No one. I only just found out a couple days ago when Hermione brought me some books to catch up on my homework. So _nice_ of her." She said sarcastically, with a twinkle in her eye. Harry nodded and returned a nervous smile, then took a deep breath and blurted it out. 

"Artemis, do you wanna go to the ball with me?" 

Artemis' eyes widened and she smiled ecstatically. "Really? Oh, Harry! Thats so nice of you! I didn't know who I wanted to go with or if anyone would even _ask_ me! I am new, you know. Oh thank you!" Artemis said, her hands coming together with a resounding clap. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and shrugged. 

"Its nothing." Artemis chuckled and shook her finger at him. 

"You know its not. Thanks again, Harry. Thank you so much!" Then her face fell and she bit her lip. "I've gotta go. I was supposed to go right up to the Tower and get some rest. Madame Pomfrey's orders. I better get going before she comes out and yells at me like she's been doing all weekend. Thanks again, Harry! See you!" Artemis said, grinning after resting her hand on Harry's shoulder for only a minute, before removing it as she ran up to the Gryffindor Tower stairs. Harry smiled and shook his head as he watched her run off, then murmured, 

"Well, at least that's over. I'm all set. I think I might actually enjoy the ball this time." 

__

Many weeks passed before Professor Flutterae returned to D.A.D.A. Hermione was worried because she feared that the teacher had taken a turn for the worse. That was the popular belief among the houses, but Ron had a different theory. "I bet you money that Snape is keeping her sick so that he can teach D.A.D.A.," He said, rubbing his hands together. "Its just the kind of scummy thing he'd do." But finally, the day came when Professor Snape was no longer glaring at them over their books, and Professor Flutterae stood at her desk, a cheerful smile on her face.

For the first time in many weeks, the homework load was lighter and D.A.D.A. was enjoyed thoroughly by all. After the other students welcomed her back after that class and had left, Ron whispered to Harry that he and Hermione and Artemis were going to meet up with Fred and George outside Snape's classroom. "Okay, I'll be there in a minute." Harry whispered. Ron shrugged and waved at Rhiannon before stepping out the door with the others. Harry walked up to Rhiannon's desk, where she was shuffling papers about. "Hullo, Professor Flutterae!" He said quietly. Rhiannon started slightly, then smiled as she noticed Harry.

"Oh hullo, Harry! I'm glad to be back." She said quietly. 

"Its good to have you back, Professor." Harry said sincerely. Rhiannon smiled and moved back to shuffling papers on her desk. Harry stood still a moment, watching her. She had visibly changed in the last few weeks. She had become paler, her color was returning, but she was still that sickly white that reminded him of parchment. Her eyes, blue and staring, lended an unnatural beauty to her face, though now they seemed too large for her face.He smiled at Malificent, who jumped onto Rhiannon's desk and sat there, staring at Harry. Rhiannon smiled and ran her hand over the cat's back. 

__

Harry began to speak again, but stopped as Rhiannon took out her wand quickly and waved it in the air, whispering quietly as she did so. Harry frowned as the strains of music entered his ears and he caught the Professor's eye. "Music. I need it sometimes when I'm not feeling so well. It seems to have a magic all its own at times." She said with a smile. Harry smiled and nodded in agreement. 

"Where's it coming from, Professor?" Rhiannon smiled and pulled something from her desk drawer. Harry stared at it in surprise. It was a silver Muggle cd\tape player. "But Professor, Hermione says that Muggle objects can't operate inside Hogwarts. Too much magic. How is it working?" Harry stared at his teacher as a faint blush worked it's way over her cheeks. 

"Lets just say that I owe more than friendship to Mister Weasley." She said quietly, her hand resting on the cd player. 

Harry smiled knowingly. Mister Weasley must have helped her enchant the cd player. Harry was well aware of Mister Weasley's habit of enchanting Muggle artifacts, so this wasn't too surprising or far fetched. "Not only does it shrink when I need to put it in a small place, but it can play just about anything, even if it is Muggle. Helps at times, especially when I'm here. My other things won't work inside Hogwarts. I must say, I've got quite a collection of Muggle music." Rhiannon said, patting the cd player. "In fact, we'll probably have to use this for music for the Yule Ball, as we most likely won't be able to get a live band." Rhiannon said, her smile falling slightly. 

Harry chuckled and shook his head in amazement, then cocked his head to listen closer. "It's not anyone I know, Professor." Harry said with a frown. Rhiannon chuckled and turned it up slightly for him to hear. 

"I don't necessarily care for the Witch and Wizard bands. Call me a fool, but I prefer Muggle music at times, just so long as its good. I'm more used to it." She said with a chuckle. 

"And who's this?" Harry asked. 

"Oh, sorry Harry. I'm a bit distracted. The Goo Goo Dolls." She answered, bending down to grab some stray papers off the floor. Harry could not help but chuckle. 

"What kind of name is that?" He asked sarcastically. 

"Well its just as bad as the 'Weird Sisters' isn't it?" She retorted. Harry could not help but agree with her and he chuckled again, this time with her as she settled down at her desk, her chin in her hands. "Although, it's not that strange of a name. The 'Weird Sisters' was actually another name for the Fates in mythology." Rhiannon said with a smile. Then she passed her hand over her eyes, a gentle, but unmistakeably tired sigh escaping from her throat. "What did you want to see me about, Harry?" She asked. 

"I wanted to make sure you were alright and, and to ask you what happened to you that night." Rhiannon seemed to stiffen, then tire as she ran her hand over her eyes once more. 

"I'm fine Harry. Just tired. As to what happened in the forest," She paused a moment before continuing. "I simply got lost and fell that's all. Hurt myself. That's all, Harry." She said quietly. Harry gazed at her skeptically. 

"What about what happened during the Quidditch game? Is anything being done about _that_?" Harry asked quietly. Rhiannon nodded quickly. 

"Yes, yes, Harry. Precautions are being taken. As of now, no one is allowed to leave Hogwarts. Not even for holidays." Harry's throat grew dry, but he pressed on. 

"But what _was_ it? It was something, something evil." Rhiannon raised her eyes to his and nodded. 

"Yes it was, Harry. Something evil. Something that you and I cannot speak of. Not now. Not at this time" She whispered.

Harry stared at her incredulously, then with concern as his teacher's eyes widened and looked past him. He stared at her, for once hearing the lyrics that now poured through the room. 

__

And I don't want the world to see me,

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand.

When everything's made to be broken,

I just want you to know who I am.

Harry turned to look at what Rhiannon's eyes were fixed on and was surprised to see Bill Weasley standing in the doorway. A cocky grin was fixed on his face and he was slowly shaking his head as he stared at Rhiannon. He was dressed in his traditional black, the fang earring dangling from his ear, his long red hair tied back neatly behind him. His hazel eyes twinkled as he moved his hand from the doorframe. "You still like this trash, Rhia? I thought you'd forgotten this stuff by now." He said jokingly, his deep voice reverberating through the entire room. Rhiannon stood slowly, her eyes still fixed on him. Harry automatically moved out of the way, looking back and forth between the two people in the room. As Rhiannon descended the stairs, it seemed to Harry that Bill's eyes seemed to jump, then twinkle all the more brightly as she walked to him.

When she finally stood in front of him, she stared hard at him. "Bill?" She whispered. Bill grinned wider and reached out to grasp her white hand.

"Yeah, decided I'd pay you a visit Rhia, if you don't mind that is." He said gently. 

"But you were in Egypt! How, why are you here?" She asked. 

"What? You don't want me to be here?" Bill asked, mock hurt covering his face. 

"That's not it at all. I'm just, why are you here?" Rhiannon stuttered. Bill chuckled and shook his head. 

"Well first, I apparated to Hogsmeade from Egypt and took the fastest way here I knew of." Rhiannon frowned at him thoughtfully. 

"How did you," She started before Bill cut her off. 

"Fred and George showed me a little short-cut a while ago." Harry smothered a smile. He knew that he was referring to the secret passageway that had been shown on the Marauder's Map. Fred and George had obviously shown him how to get there.

Rhiannon shook her head in disbelief. "As to why, I heard that there was some trouble. You got hurt." He said, his voice quieting as he reached up slowly to touch a curl that hung down the teacher's back. To Harry's surprise, and quite obviously Bill's, Rhiannon turned bright red and stepped back to avoid his touch. Before Bill could speak, Rhiannon started speaking angrily. 

"You came back for _me_?" She asked angrily. Bill stood still, staring at her. "Your brothers, Fred, George, Ron, and even _Ginny_, got hurt terribly and you came out here for _ME_?" She stormed angrily. 

Now _Bill_ turned red and his eyes flashed angrily. "Well that's normally what one does when one's _friend_ is injured!" Bill yelled. Only then did Harry notice a small bouquet of daisies resting beneath his hand. He threw it on the ground as Rhiannon continued her tirade. 

"Oh-hoh! So now your friends are more important than your _family_ nowadays? Wasn't it always you who told me that if you don't stick together with your family, you have nothing? I'm ashamed of you, William Francis Weasley!" Rhiannon yelled. 

"Oh yeah! Well screw it then! I just came to see you, but now I, I, I'll just go see Fred and George!" Bill bellowed, storming out the door. Harry glanced at Rhiannon, then at the empty door. Rhiannon brushed her hair back angrily, then glanced at Harry and cast a sheepish glance in his direction. 

"Sorry you had to see that. Guess I kinda flew off the handle huh?" She asked. Harry nodded slowly. To his surprise, Rhiannon began to chuckle and she picked up the bouquet of daisies from the floor. She gently touched the petals, then held them up to her nose. "Someone once said that flowers are eyes into the soul. I can't remember who. But someone did." She said quietly. 

"Do you like daisies, Professor Flutterae?" Harry asked quietly. 

She looked up at him, a wistful smile on her face as she continued to finger the flowers. "Yes. They're my favorite flower. I know Bill was just trying to be kind, but he should have saved that for his brothers and sister." She said, almost as if in explanation. Then she stopped, one finger resting on a flower petal. She winced and turned to Harry. "Was I too hard on him, Harry?" She asked quietly. Harry thought a moment, then shrugged. 

"It depends on what you think is hard." He said. A chuckle passed over Rhiannon's lips as she looked back down to the flowers in her hand. Harry gazed at her and for a moment, he thought he saw regret and sadness in her face as she stared at the daisies in her hands. 

"Will you be alright, Professor Flutterae?" He asked quietly. Rhiannon did not look up at him, but nodded. 

"Go on, Harry. I want to be alone for a little while." She said quietly. Harry nodded and took a step towards the door, pausing only to look back at her. The teacher was now sittingin one of the numerous desks for the students, the flowers on the desk, her head in her hands. Malificent was rubbing around her ankles, brushing her black head against Rhiannon's leg comfortingly. Harry sighed and stepped out of the room.

He went looking for Ron and finally found him, along with Hermione, Artemis, Fred, George and Ginny, standing amongst all of them. Ron turned as Harry approached and flashed him a happy grin. Harry returned it and worked his way into the group. "Oh Bill! You look so much better than when we last saw you! I'm so glad!" Ginny said with a sigh of relief. Bill grinned and rubbed her hair, much to her annoyance. 

"I told you I'd be alright, didn't I?" He asked. 

"So why'd you come to Hogwarts?" Ron asked excitedly. Bill paused a moment to rub the back of his head and shrugged. 

"Heard about the accident. Came to see my brothers and sister, of course." There were smiles all round, save for the raised eyebrow of Harry Potter.

"Well it's good you did! You're just in time!" Fred said happily. Bill frowned as he looked at his brother. 

"In time for what?"He asked. The twins grinned maniacally. 

"The Yule Ball!" They said happily. Bill groaned and smacked his hand against his forehead. Harry had to laugh with the others, and as he did, he took a closer look at Fred and George. Fred had basically recovered, his scratches were now long, thin scabs, his bruises were fading, and color was returning to his cheeks. His twin was not as recovered. True like his brother, his scratches were scabs and his bruises were fading, but only a faint bit of color was spread across his cheeks. Otherwise, his skin maintained it's white hue. 

"I'm not staying for the Yule Ball!" Bill said firmly, holding up his hand.

The others laughed while Ginny protested. "Oh, but Bill! It's only a few weeks away! Please stay!" She pleaded. Bill shook his head violently and the others laughed again. Ron noticed the confused look in Harry's eyes as he laughed with them and leaned closer to him. 

"Bill didn't have a good experience with Yule Balls." He grinned. "Most of them turned out with him alone or nursing a black eye." Ron said, while smiling broadly. 

"How did he manage that?" Harry whispered. 

"Easy. He either said something that offended the girl or deliberately took another guy's girl." Ron whispered back, a twinkle in his eye. Harry grinned and simply shook his head. He wasn't surprised in the least. After all, Bill _was_ a Weasley. 

"I'm not going." Bill repeated firmly.

"Why Mister Weasley!" All four Weasley boys turned around as Professor McGonagall called out the surname, each wondering who she was referring to. But when the Transfiguration teacher took her place by Bill, the rest of them relaxed. "Mister Weasley, how perfectly wonderful of you to come by! What brings you here?" She asked. Bill blushed and shrugged. 

"Just came to see my kid brothers and sister after I heard what happened." He said uneasily. Professor McGonagall nodded gravely. 

"It is a terrible thing. Terrible. But I'm glad, and I'm sure that your siblings are glad," She said, shooting a glare at the Weasley boys. "That you are here." She finished. Bill nodded and smiled. 

"I bet they are." Fred and George cast a particularly evil glance at each other, then glanced back at Bill, who eyed them, suddenly looking uncomfortable. 

"But of course you'll stay for the Yule Ball won't you, Mister Weasley? We'd be pleased if you'd join us." The Professor said generously. Bill blushed and paused only a moment before responding. 

"Well sure. I'd love to stay." The Professor smiled and patted his arm. 

"That's good! You can stay with your brothers in Gryffindor Tower. No one will mind. It is good to see one of Hogwarts' most productive students back again." She said proudly as she walked off.

Bill gulped and turned back around to face the crowd. Fred and George stood in front of him, their arms crossed over their chests, eyeing him. "_What?_" Bill asked sharply. Immediately, Fred put on a simpering look and began to speak in a feminine voice. 

"It is so _GOOD_ to see one of Hogwarts' _MOST_, _PRODUCTIVE_ students back again." He simpered. Bill slugged him hard in the arm. 

"Shut up!" He yelled. George then batted his eyelashes in his direction, but before Bill could lunge upon him, Ginny grabbed his arm and squeezed it hard. 

"Oh Bill! I'm so glad that you'll be coming to the Yule Ball! Then you'll be able to see me all dressed up and in my beautiful robes!" Ginny sighed happily. 

"I've seen you in pretty robes before, Gin." Bill grunted as he tried to reach his mocking brothers. 

"Oh! But not at a Yule Ball! You'll be so proud of me won't you?" She asked hopefully. 

Suddenly Bill ceased to tug from his sister's grasp and stood still. "Yeah, I'll be proud of you, Gin." He said quietly. Harry turned to see Rhiannon walking towards them. A faint blush grew on Bill's face as she approached, but she ignored it and instead, slung her arms around the twins' shoulders, both of whom grinned broadly. 

"Well boys, I see the prodigal son has returned." She said calmly. 

"Darn right. And as much of a scum as when he first left, 'ey Rhia?" George asked, winking at her. 

"I'd say so." She added with a twinkle in her eye. Now it was Bill's turn to cross his arms over his chest and glare at the twins. 

"Well, don't you have anything to say to your _dear, old _friend?" Rhiannon asked coyly, placing emphasis on her words. Bill gritted his teeth and bowed slightly. 

"Oh its a _pleasure_ to see you again,_ dear_, old friend." He said.

Rhiannon grinned and squeezed the twins tighter. "Well boys, is he gonna sleep on the doorstep or what?" Fred sighed and shook his head. 

"Sorry Rhia, but McGonagall got to him first." He said sadly. 

"He gets to sleep with _us_ in the Gryffindor Tower!" George moaned. A look of mock pity came over Rhiannon's face as she looked at the twins. 

"Well I'm sorry to hear that. I truly am! How terrible. And to think, you boys have to listen to him snore." She said as the others erupted in giggles around her, especially Ginny. Bill narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. 

"I do _NOT_ snore." He said firmly. Rhiannon cocked her head to the side. 

"Oh really? I know for a fact that you do." She said slyly.

"And how would you know?" Bill asked angrily. 

"When we were kids our families went on that camp-out remember?" She asked, her eyes twinkling brightly. Bill's fists clenched and he shook his head at her. 

"Don't even think about it. That was a _long_ time ago." He said warningly. 

"Oh! Is that the time when we went and put shaving cream on his face and he didn't wake up? He just kept snoring?" Fred laughed. 

"Yeah! You remember that? You guys were little." Rhiannon asked in surprise. 

"Of course I remember it! It was fabulous! Rich! The perfect plot." Fred concurred. 

"That wasn't the best part though. The best part was when we wiped off the shaving cream, put on that make-up mask and put cucumber slices on his eyes! Like Muggle make-up artists!" George said quickly before laughing loudly. 

"And then, and then when he woke up, his face wouldn't move and he thought he was the living dead!" Fred howled. 

"And then he was running around the came with this purple gook on his face, yelling about boggarts and stuff!!" Ron added, his face turning red with laughter. Bill stood still among the laughing group, glaring hard at Rhiannon. 

"So you see Bill, I _know_ that you snore." Rhiannon said finally. 

__

Bill nodded slowly as the laughter died down. "Alright, alright. You wanna play that way? I still remember the night when you told me that you had a crush on Professor Snape." There was a chorus of 'oohs' all round and the laughter was wiped off of Rhiannon's face. 

"I did NOT!" She said angrily. 

"Uh-huh. Oh yeah, you had a thing for him." Bill said, grinning evilly. Rhiannon took a step closer to him angrily. 

"Oh yeah? Well I remember how you went and were kissing Andrea Verlin outside the Gryffindor Tower after hours and I _saw_ you!"Bill angrily took a step closer. 

"Oh _yeah_! And _then_, you ran down the halls and got Mrs. Norris to come and find us! I was cleaning the Trophy Room for _weeks_!" Bill yelled. Rhiannon crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. 

"You deserved it." She said cooly. 

"Yeah? Well you just did that because you were _jealous_!" Bill yelled.

By this time the laughter had died down and the group was simply watching the two argue with wide eyes. Rhiannon's eyes grew wide and her face red. The two took another step closer towards each other, their eyes blazing. "_JEALOUS_? Of WHAT? Of you kissing Andrea Verlin? Yeah right! You deserved to kiss that slimy eel." She said angrily. 

"Andrea was not slimy! She was a great kisser and you were jealous!" Bill retorted. 

"Again, of WHAT?" Rhiannon yelled. 

"That I was kissing her and not YOU!" 

There was silence in the hall and the only sound was the panting of the two combatants. Finally, they looked around them at the silent group, then back at each other. Rhiannon grew red in the face as she saw the stern face of Professor Snape standing at the end of the hall, staring with cold eyes. She looked back at Bill only once and there was fire in them as she turned away and briskly walked away from him. Only then, did Harry notice the daisy tucked inside her robe, flopping out of the pocket. 

__

From that moment on, Bill barely had a moment's rest from his twin brothers and also his younger brother, but Fred and George initiated most of the questioning, which he stated, 'drove him bonkers.' But did that stop Fred and George? "No one can stop the inquisitive minds!" Fred protested as Bill locked himself one of the boy's bathroom stalls. 

"We are the people! We have a right to know!" George added, as the two of them pounded hard on the stall doors. 

"Oh shut up and get a life would you?" Bill bellowed from the stall. 

"Not until you tell us what that little phrase meant." George insisted. 

"WHAT little phrase?" Bill yelled angrily. 

"Quote, 'She was a great kisser and you were jealous. That I was kissing her and not YOU!' unquote." Fred recited, an evil smile on his face.

The twins were surprised when Bill threw open the door and glared at them from the doorway, but they smiled innocently. _Too_ innocently. "Look, I wish you'd drop it. Rhiannon is your teacher for crying out loud. She doesn't need you guys to be spying on her and stuff." He said firmly. 

"Well, it's your fault. You let it slip, you _smoothie_." George said, winking and jogging Bill's elbow. Bill shook his head slowly, staring grimly at his brothers. 

"You guys are pathetic." He muttered as he stormed out of the bathroom. Fred and George turned around to face Ron and Harry, who'd accompanied them and grinned. 

"Well, that went well," Fred said, a pleased smile on his face. "Now that we've sufficiently bugged Bill so that he's stormed off, we need to figure out who we're taking to the Yule Ball. Any ideas gentlemen?" Fred asked, looking at his brothers and Harry. To their surprise, Ron spoke up immediately. 

"Yeah." His twin brothers stared at him in surprise and Harry did the same. 

"Who's the lucky girl, Ronsie?" George asked. 

"Yeah, tell us, Ronniekins." Fred asked. Ron shrugged nonchantly before answering. 

"I'm gonna ask Hermione." To Ron's obvious surprise, Fred and George both slapped him on the back and grinned, congratulating him loudly. "Well, don't get all excited. I haven't asked her yet!" Ron grumbled, but glowing with pride. 

"But at least you don't have to worry about Viktor Krum!" Harry said with a smile. Ron's smile grew wider at that comment. 

"Darn right. I'm glad of that." Ron said gratefully. 

"Yeah! And now that you've grown like a weed you could probably knock him out." Fred laughed as he tousled his brother's hair. The four boys walked out of the bathroom, chuckling over the state of events, but stopped short when they saw Hermione Granger, Artemis Thornshadow and Ginny Weasley walking towards them, engrossed in a conversation that had them all giggling and chuckling. 

"Whats so funny, _ladies_?" George asked, stepping between Hermione and Artemis and slipping his arms around their shoulders. 

"Nothing you should be concerned with George." Ginny said primly. George grinned and pulled a lock of her red hair playfully. 

"C'mon, you can tell old George." George urged. 

"And Fred!" Fred added. 

"And me and Harry." Ron said, a grin on his face. Artemis and Hermione looked at each other and giggled. Harry looked surprised. Never before had he seen Hermione Granger _giggle_ in his life! It was unusual. 

"We're just discussing what we're going to be wearing for the Yule Ball." Hermione finally said primly. At that Ron reddened and said nothing, but his brothers were not so cautious. 

"And what will you be wearing? Satin? Lace? Jewels?" George asked with a smile. The girls laughed again and shook their heads. 

"Thats for us to know and for you to find out _Mister_ Weasley." Artemis said, pushing George's nose for emphasis. George drew his head back in mock hurt. 

"You can't tell me? But I'm an old and dear friend, and your fellow detentionee, Artie. You _must_ tell me!" He pleaded. Artemis laughed and shook her head. 

"We've got to make our plans. After all, Ginny already got _asked_!" Hermione laughed, giving a knowing look to the Weasley girl, who blushed. Fred immediately bounded over to his little sister and leaned down to look in her face. 

"You don't say? Who's the bum trying to move in on my sister? I'll knock 'im into next week!" Fred said fiercely. 

"Oh don't do that Fred!" Ginny pleaded. "He couldn't defend himself even if he wanted to!" She added. 

"And who is this little weakling?" Fred asked suspiciously. Ginny hung her head slightly, but her voice was strong as she answered, 

"Its Neville." She said. Fred brightened immediately. 

"Oh! Just good ol' Neville 'eh? I was afraid it was gonna be Draco Malfoy!" Fred said cheerily. 

Ginny looked horrified as her three brothers laughed loudly at the idea. Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled at Artemis' arm, making a move to leave. But Ron surprised them all when he stepped forward and grabbed Hermione's arm. Hermione looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face. "What?" She asked. Ron's face turned red and he worked his lips frantically. As if to give him room, Fred and George immediately sobered and took a step back. 

"Ah, Hermione, ah, I'd can't wait to see what you'll look like for the Yule Ball. You looked really nice and stuff last time and, well, you look rather nice all the time, but, ah, well, you know." Ron stuttered. A faint blush worked its way over Hermione's cheeks and she smiled. 

"Oh! Thank you Ron. I wasn't sure if you'd noticed." She said. 

"Didn't notice? How could I not?!" Ron said with surprise. The blush in Hermione's cheeks darkened and she fluttered her eyelashes.

"Thanks Ron. I hope you'll like what I'm wearing then. So long." She said as she made a move to pull away. Ron quickly grasped her arm and pulled her back quickly. 

"Hermione, will you go to the ball with me?" Ron burst out quickly. Hermione drew back in surprise. She, like Ron had a moment before, worked her lips nervously. 

"Well, alright then." She said simply. Now it was Ron's turn to look surprised. 

"Really? You'll come with me?" He asked in disbelief. Hermione frowned and pursed her lips. 

"Of course! You asked didn't you?" She asked. 

"Well yeah but, I didn't think you'd actually say _yes_." Ron said. 

"Well I told you last year not to use me as a last resort. I note that you took my advice. Its about time you did. You know you wouldn't get in so much trouble if you did that more often." Hermione said simply as she pulled away from him, a small smile hiding in the corners of her mouth. Artemis looked behind her as the she and the other girls walked away, and winking, gave the boys the thumbs-up sign. 

To Ron's surprise, George let loose a small sigh. Fred stared at him as if he'd turned into a toad. George glanced at him and shrugged his shoulders. "What?" Fred poked him hard. 

"You know darn well what. What was that action all about?" Fred asked skeptically.

"Nothing!" George protested. 

"Do you have a thing for my friend?" Ron asked suspiciously. George shook his head and frowned. 

"Are you insane? She's the same age as _you_ for prat's sake." He said simply. Ron's eyebrows shot up. 

"You DO have a thing for her!" He yelled. 

"I do not! I never said that!" George shot back. 

"You never said you didn't!" Ron answered. Fred stepped between them and held his hands up. 

"Now listen, calm down. Ronnie, whats wrong with George having a thing for Artemis?"

"I don't!" George retaliated. 

"Now come dear brother, its terribly obvious that you do, so shut your mouth before you dig yourself any deeper." Fred said calmly. That shut George up, who frowned as his twin turned back to Ron. 

"It's just weird thats all." Ron grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest. Fred turned to Harry, much to his surprise. 

"Harry, do you think it's weird?" He asked pointedly. Harry shrugged and shook his head. 

"Not really I guess. It's kinda, well, unusual, but its just because I know Artemis and," Harry drew in a quick breath. He couldn't believe what he'd just done. That wink and thumbs-up sign, they'd been for him.

He groaned loudly and Ron stared at him. "Harry, whats the matter? You got a stomach-ache?" Ron asked. Harry turned and stared wildly at him. 

"Ron, can you come over here for a minute?" He asked shakily, pulling him over towards the bathroom door. Ron complied but stared at him as if he were mad. 

"What is your problem?" He whispered. 

"George has got a thing for Artemis!" Harry hissed. 

"So what? He's a prat. He's a weirdo, a bloody _kook_ for crying out loud, but what does Artemis have to do with anything?" He asked. 

"George is probably gonna ask Artemis to the Yule Ball!" Harry whispered. Again, Ron shrugged. 

"That looks like what he was leading up to." Ron said. Harry groaned and pressed his hands to his forehead. 

"What is your PROBLEM?" Ron hissed. 

"I already asked her!" Harry whispered frantically. Ron's mouth dropped open and his eyes bulged. 

"And?" He whispered breathlessly. 

"She said yes." Harry moaned. Ron took a step backwards in astonishment. 

"I don't believe it. I jolly well don't believe it. She said _yes_?" Ron whispered. Harry nodded silently."Well don't worry about it. We'll explain to George. He can get someone else, he always does. He can go with, oh, Angelina or someone. It doesn't matter. We'll explain it." Ron whispered reassuringly, putting his arm around Harry's shoulders. To Harry's obvious dismay, the twins were now talking excitedly to their friend Lee Jordan, who was grinning broadly, while George was turning beet red. 

"I'm just gonna invite her to the ball, Lee. Thats all."

"Cradle robber."

"Oh would you shut up?! It's not like that!"

"Georgie's got a thing for the baby girls 'eh? Freds, why didn't you tell me this in the first place? Now I'm gonna hafta lock up my baby sister."

"You don't _have _a baby sister, you _prat_."  


"Just saying, Georgie. Don't get all offensive."

"I wouldn't if you weren't being so bloody negative!" George exploded.

Lee got a good laugh out of that and he made good use of it too. He grinned when he saw Ron and Harry. "So Ron, your brother's robbing the cradle with little Artemis." Lee said. 

"I know. Isn't it bloody weird?" He asked with an evil smile. 

"Bloody." Lee responded automatically. 

"Its nothing much! I'm just going to ask Artemis to the ball. Thats IT!" George insisted. 

"Ah, George." Harry interrupted quietly. George stopped and smiled at Harry. 

"Yeah Harry?" His smile made it all worse.

"Ah, well,"

__

"Speak up old chap! Whats the matter?"

"Well, I, uh, it's about Artemis."

"What? She's going to the ball isn't she?"  


"Well yeah, but,"  


"Then what's the problem?"

"I, well, I,"

"Oh good grief! He bloody well asked her out already, George, so you can just forget about it!" Ron yelled loudly.

The entire hall was silent as George stared from Harry to Ron, then back again. "You did?" George asked quietly. Harry nodded. "And she said yes?" He asked. Harry nodded again. George sighed quietly. "Well, that's alright. I'll just ask someone else. Won't be hard you know. Maybe I'll ask Angelina or someone." He murmured. Ron turned to Harry and gave him a knowing look. But Harry wasn't comforted by this bit of information. He was made to feel worse by the dejected look on the Weasley twin's face. "Thanks for telling me, Harry, before I made a fool out of myself." George said, forcing a smile for Harry's sake. Harry returned it, but it was just as fake as George's had been. "I've gotta go and, well, do something." George said slowly, walking away from them after giving them a half-hearted wave. Fred and Lee eyed each other with alarm and followed him quickly, calling his name. 

Harry groaned and turned to Ron. "I told you it would be awful! Now George is upset! What am I gonna do?" Harry asked. Ron thought a moment then answered, 

"Just don't tell Artemis." He said. Harry stared at him in astonishment. 

"Don't tell Artemis? What the heck kinda advice is THAT?" Harry exploded. 

"Because if you tell Artemis, then she'll feel bad and your entire date will be a total drag!" Ron said knowingly. "Don't worry about it. C'mon, lets raid the kitchens." Ron said, putting an arm around Harry. Harry slumped dejectedly as they walked off. 

"Don't know what good it'll do." He muttered. 

"Ah, you know what? Those lemon tarts always make ME feel better when I'm low. Maybe it'll work for you. They've worked for me every time." As Ron continued to talk, Harry's mind wandered, as did his eyes. That was why he noticed the angry face that peeked around the corner at him, his cold gray eyes flashing, his blonde hair winking in the dim sunlight.

**************

Harry sat engrossed in thought, not eating the food that sat in front of him. All around him, the others ate, though Ron didn't eat as fast as he always did, nor did Hermione, for that matter. Fred, George and Lee were not even present, but Artemis was. Harry just couldn't understand that look that Draco had given him. It was so angry. So frustrated. And yet, he didn't understand why. He hadn't even _talked_ to Draco! And yet. He had glared at him after he had left to go get something from the kitchens to make him feel better. Now, Draco couldn't be mad about him going to get food, because if he was then he was even more of a tattle-tale moron than Harry already believed him to be. That left.............. "Oh no." Harry muttered under his breath.

"Hey Harry! You gonna eat your grapes?" Ron asked through a full mouth. Harry ignored him, caught up in his discovery of the reason for Draco's anger. He eyed Artemis who stood at the other end of the table talking with Ginny and Neville. 

__

Good, she doesn't know. He thought thankfully. 

"Hey Harry, what's the problem?" Ron whispered, finally having swallowed his food. He looked up at Ron apprehensively, but did not speak as Fred and Lee flopped down in their chairs dejectedly. 

"How's George?" Harry asked, wincing. Fred shrugged. 

"Who knows? He won't talk, he won't do anything. He's just laying in his bed looking at _Quidditch Weekly_." Fred sighed. 

"In other words, it's pretty bad." Lee agreed. 

Harry moaned loudly. "Well he needs to get over it! I mean, it's just Artemis for crying out loud! He shouldn't get so worked up over a _girl_." Ron said. 

"Well he is so worked up over a _girl_. And we need to find him another girl fast. Otherwise, I'm not sure when George will be showing his face again." Fred said wryly. 

"What's that about George?" Artemis asked as she approached the group. The four boys jumped and Ron nearly spewed his water across the table as he stared at her. She eyed them, waiting for their response. 

"Nothing. Just talking about my, ah, my cat!" Ron said, swallowing his water and smiling innocently. Artemis raised her eyebrow. 

"You have a cat named George?" She asked skeptically. Ron gave a fake laugh. 

"Yeah! Funny, huh? Her name is Georgina. George named her. Get it?" Ron asked hopefully.

"Yeah I guess. Doesn't it get confusing?" She asked. Ron frowned. 

"What?" He asked. 

"Distinguishing between George the cat and George the twin." She answered. Again, came that fake laugh. 

"Oh well, it's not that difficult actually. We call the cat Georgie most of the time, so it doesn't matter." Ron chuckled. Artemis nodded slowly then sat down beside Fred. 

"So where is George the twin?" She asked. Ron glanced uneasily at Fred who quickly spoke up. 

"He's up in bed. Rather sick. Didn't feel too good." Artemis looked alarmed and her eyebrows shot up. 

"Really? What happened? Is he just nauseous, or is it really serious?" She asked. 

Fred nodded quickly. "Oh yeah! Really serious! I mean, he was moaning and groaning, and next thing I knew he fell on the floor and he was kicking and stuff. And screaming! _Screaming_! Really loud! He's pretty lousy." Fred said. Artemis' face during this time, had changed to a frightened shade of white and her eyes widened. 

"Is anyone taking care of him?" She asked worriedly. 

"Oh yes, yes. We got someone to take care of him. He's gonna be fine." Fred reassured her. 

"I better go see him." Artemis said, rising from her sea. 

"NO! I mean, no. Girls aren't allowed in the boy's rooms. He's gonna be fine. The person who checked him out said so. Madame Pomfrey, I mean. She said. And don't go asking Madame about him either. She, she, doesn't really like to talk about her cases. Then she thinks you're being a busy-body." He said firmly. Artemis frowned, but shook her head. 

"Well alright. Tell me when he gets out, okay? That's so weird. I'll see you later. Hermione, Ginny and I are gonna go in the library and look up some stuff. We're gonna look for ideas for our robes for the Yule Ball." Artemis said with a smile as she walked off. Fred jerked his thumb at the girls as they walked off. 

"Is that _all_ girls think about?" Lee shrugged and nodded. 

"That was a pretty good flub Fred. Where did you come up with all that stuff about George screamin' an' stuff?" Ron asked. Fred paled slightly and shrugged. 

"Well, that's what he did after that weird storm thing at the Quidditch match. He was in a real bad state. I just said that because it was all I could think of." At the mention of the storm, the table was silent as they thought about the incident. 

"Who do you think is behind it?" Harry asked quietly. 

"You-Know-Who of course! Are you daft?" Ron asked. 

"I'm just not sure. I'm not sure what to think, or who to accuse of being behind it." Harry fretted. 

"Look Harry, You-Know-Who has been behind most every evil thing that has ever happened at Hogwarts. Why not this time?" Ron asked pointedly. Harry shook his head despairingly. 

"I don't know, I just don't know."

That night, Ron and Harry met Artemis, Hermione and Ginny as they made their way to the Gryffindor Towers. The girls chatted among themselves, talking about the baubles and trinkets that they were going to try to dig up to go with their dress robes. "Well I'm going to see if I can find that one jade necklace that my grandmother gave me last Christmas," Hermione said with a smile. "It'll look lovely with my robes." She added. Ginny smiled excitedly and turned to Ron. 

"Ron, do you think Mum would owl me her garnet necklace to wear for the Ball?" Ron scoffed loudly. 

"Mum's garnet necklace? In the claws of Errol? I think not! She'd be paranoid that he'd drop it or something. It _was_ a wedding present from Grandma and Grandpa, you know." Ron accused. Ginny shrugged and shook her head. 

"I was going to use _Pig_ and I _don't_ think she'll mind." She said, tossing her red head. 

"Then why did you even _ask_ me?" Ron muttered. 

"Artemis, you should wear that one gold rose necklace. The one with the real rose set on the chain. Has it faded yet? The rose I mean?" Hermione asked curiously. Artemis shook her head. 

"Nope. Its still as real as the day I got it. Smells great too." She added. 

"I think you should wear it. We should refer to our plans some more and, OH!" Hermione gasped aloud, making the boys jump.

"What in the world Hermione?" Ron exploded after rubbing his ears. 

"I left our plans downstairs in the library!" She said with a moan. Ron held up his hand with authority. 

"Well it's after hours, so don't even _think_ of asking me and Harry to get it." He said firmly. Quickly, Hermione turned her deep brown eyes onto Ron, immediately making his conviction slip away. 

"Oh please Ron! You can use Harry's invisibility cloak and no one will see you and you won't get in trouble! I just don't want anyone to find them! Especially like someone like, like, _Malfoy_ or something! It would be awful!" She explained. 

"Well," Ron wavered. 

"_Please_!" Hermione pleaded. 

"Oh fine! But never ask again, 'cause I'm already regretting this. Harry, can we use your cloak?" Ron asked dejectedly, turning to Harry. 

"Sure." He answered simply. The three girls beamed. 

"You're our heroes!" Artemis said with a smile.

A few moments later, Ron and Harry, hidden beneath the invisibility cloak, were walking down the darkened halls of Hogwarts towards the library. With bated breaths, they walked the halls, looking carefully down each hall for Mrs. Norris and Filch before slinking down it. The closer they got to the library, the more tense it got. Finally, they reached the library and Harry carefully opened the door with trembling hands. "It _would_ squeak." Ron muttered as the door let out a groan. Harry gave a nervous laugh and they slipped inside. As they stood in the doorway, they glanced about the room, looking for the lost notes. Hermione had told them where she'd left them, but when the boys looked there, they were nowhere to be found. Ron gave a low whistle. "This complicates things. Hermione's gonna be madder than a pea-hen when we tell her we can't find it." He muttered.

"Don't despair, because I just found them." Harry whispered excitedly. There on the Madame Pince's desk, were drawings of several robes. Ron let out a rush of air with relief.

"Thank God." He muttered as they made their way to the desk. Harry carefully picked them up, looking about for signs of the librarian. The library was cold and silent. The boys carefully opened the door and grinned at each other as they held the papers in their hands. They flipped through them as they held them under the cloak, eyeing the well-drawn illustrations and writings. Most of them were rather........unusual.

**__**

Artemis + Harry = True love!! H.G.

Hermione, don't be such an idiot! Its more like, Artemis + Draco = well, sort of true love!! G.W.

**__**

Oh stop it both of you! Ginny + Harry = LOVE!!! A.T.

Oh sure! Right!. G.W**.**

Ron is cute when he's mad. Ever noticed that? H.G.

Yeah, the way his ears get all red? A.T.

Yeah!! Isn't that sweet? H.G.

OH GOOD GRIEF! Thats sad! Ron does that ALL the time! G.W.

"I do not." Ron muttered. Harry chuckled and they flipped through some more of the notes.

**__**

Well, I think it's sweet. And he's rather cute if he ever puts his mind to it. H.G.

Are you sure???? He's no Viktor Krum!! ;-) A.T.

Positive! Viktor is in Bulgaria and Ron is here. And he's more real anyway. H.G.

C'mon! Lets get back to these robes! I wanna look great! G.W.

****

Alright! Lets get to it. Hermione, your color is blue. A.T.

Oh come on. GREEN. H.G.

Sorry. BLUE. A.T.

I think it should be, Hermione, green, Artemis, blue. Those are your colors.I'm not sure what I'll do. G.W.

****

Don't worry, we'll help you figure it out. I'm so glad we're going to use that color-changing spell! That way we can change the color of our robes as we want! For once all your studying paid off, Hermione! Just kidding. What about purple? A.T.

Yes! Thats a nice idea.

Ron sighed as they skimmed over the rest of the papers. "Well that's ruddy boring. Except for the stuff that Hermione wrote about me," He said proudly. "I wonder if," But Ron stopped talking as Harry put a finger to his lips and hissed for silence. Ron stared at him, then listened. All he heard around them was silence, until, "Is that Professor Snape?" Ron whispered. Harry nodded. 

"And Professor Flutterae." He answered. "C'mon. I wanna see what they're talking about." Harry said, tugging Ron down the hallway. 

"Are you sure Harry? I mean, it IS after hours. What if the cloak slips?" Ron whispered worriedly. 

"It won't slip. Now come on!" Harry whispered.

The boys tiptoed down the hall till they stood behind the corner by Snape's classroom. Rhiannon was standing in front of him and they were conversing in low, soft tones. 

"I don't know what you mean to accomplish by this, Rhiannon."

**__**

"Don't look at me. I didn't ask Bill to come here. He came of his own accord."

"Because he's _enamored_ with you thats why." 

"Severus!"  


"It's true and you can't deny it."

"No, not really."

"He could jeapordize everything, Rhiannon. He's an extra life in the balance. We didn't calculate this."

"We're just a witch and a wizard, not mind readers. I didn't know he was coming."

There was a small silence before Snape began again, only this time, his voice contained a slightly harder edge.

"How long?"

"What?"   


"How long till you stop this idiotic debating and make up your mind."

"I just don't know, Severus. It could be dangerous."

"But if it solves the problem,"  
  
"Thats just it! _If_ it solves the problem! We don't even know if it'll work yet!"  


"It will work, Rhiannon. I can guarrantee it."

"What? How? How do you know? Are you gonna murder some kids to test it on?"

"No, of course not. It's just a feeling." 

"Well feelings don't cut it, Severus."

"Truly? Is that why your feelings and emotions ruled the day when the Master called?"

"We had no idea that HE was going to come to the Quidditch match and you know it, Severus."

"Come now. Don't give me that. Malfoy told me afterwards you gave Potter some kind of warning. You must have sensed _something_."

"Come on. Are you gonna believe me or Draco?"

"Obviously, Malfoy of course. If I don't my life is in the balance."

"Your life is in the balance anyway, Severus."  
  
"We're not talking about ME here. We're talking about you, and your damned conscience."

"Look, don't swear to get your point across. It's unecessary. I'm just not comfortable with it."

"Rhiannon, if you don't _get_ comfortable with it, more lives than we want are going to hang in the balance, stand in the way! The only way to stop that, is to act with the plan."

Again, Rhiannon fell silent. She stared at the floor for a time before she glanced hesitantly at Snape and spoke in a low tone.

"The twins know."

"WHAT?"  


Snape's voice was filled with anger and disbelief, which showed clearly as the call echoed throughout the corridors.

"They _are_ trust-worthy, Severus. Don't worry. They won't tell anything."

"How could you do something so foolish? Do you realize what you've done?"

"Yes. If something happens to me, they can finish what I started."  


"Rhiannon, don't be a fool! Only one of the boys can truly stand up to holding that information! The other cannot!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Eventually, he is going to break. I can't keep giving the boy potions for the rest of his life. Eventually, something or someone is going to make him break, and when he does, his self-control and reasoning will disappear."

"Forever?"

"Of course not forever! But for a good while, unless a miracle can come into play."

"I know George will hold out. But you've _got_ to keep giving him the potion, Severus."

"Have you let this slip to anyone _else_?"

"Only Fred."

"No one else?"  


"No one."

"Are you sure?" 

"Positive."  


"You best tell _Fred_, that if he's going to take this burden upon himself then he better find some way of keeping his brother in the balance. Otherwise, if there is a climax to take place here, his twin will most likely not survive."  


"I know."  


Severus leaned closer to Rhiannon, who was now laying dejectedly against the wall, her eyes downcast. When the Potions Master spoke, his voice was barely a whisper, and it was cool and cold, sending shivers down the boys' spines.

"Rhiannon, you have to decide here and now whose side you're on. Are you with me, or against me?"

Rhiannon did not speak. She did not even move, but when she finally did, she looked up into Snape's face with determination.  


"I'm with you." She whispered.

Snape nodded slowly and leaned away from her. "This is for the best." She nodded slowly. "If this works, it will be the end of everything that stands in our way." Again, she nodded, but did not look up at him. Finally, Snape placed his hand under her chin, bringing her face up so her eyes met his. "Do not let your conscience trouble you." He straightened. "I have to go prepare that potion for that Weasley twin. His brother will be here in less than half an hour. Go to bed. You need rest." The Potions Master said finally before he strode into his office. 

But Rhiannon did not go to bed, at least not immediately. She stood there for a long time, staring at nothing. Harry stared hard at her, at her figure, at her shadow that seemed to morph and lean over her, a faint white glow flowing down it's outline, the being's gray eyes fixing on her, then raising to look at Harry. Harry and Ron stood breathless in the middle of the hall, seeing nothing but the teacher and the shadow beside her. Which was why Harry nearly screamed when he heard Mrs. Norris' mournful yowl echo through the hallway. Ron too, jumped, and the two boys fled back the way they'd come, up to the Gryffindor Towers. 

They met Hermione and Artemis in the Common Room and they jumped to their feet. "Did you get it?" Artemis asked. Ron shoved it into her hands and she and Hermione almost yelled with excitement. Suddenly, Hermione's smile vanished and she eyed the boys skeptically. 

"You didn't read any of this did you?" She asked. Ron shook his head violently. 

"Yeah right, Hermione! Its _girl_ stuff! Why would we wanna look at that?" He asked. Hermione said nothing, but raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Harry, what's the matter? You look you just saw a ghost." Artemis whispered, stepping closer to Harry. Harry stared at her, his mouth dry as she spoke the old adage. 

"That's because I did." He whispered.

************************************************************************

**__**

Author's Note: Thank you guys for reviewing! You have no idea how happy it makes me that people are reading, critiquing and all and all **enjoying** the story! I'm so glad that you are enjoying it and I love reading your guesses as to what is going on. It makes me smile, but I'm not gonna say anything about who's right and who's wrong or if any of you are anywhere close. I would give it away guys!! :-) Also, I've received probably the greatest compliment from several of you: I've been asked if I am, or am related to J.K. Rowling. Wow guys! That says to me that I'm doing a pretty fair job writing about J.K.'s characters and their continuing year. Thank you so much you guys! You are all amazing!! Here's my thanks to you guys!

****

Kora: I'm glad you're feeling better. Sincerely! Heh-heh, your review made me laugh very hard because of your comparison between the Forbidden Forest and Mirkwood. I.e. "Happy Centaurs"! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!! I was cracking up so hard after I read that! I was just like, 'Oh how do I love Kora? Let me count the ways! HILARIOUS!!' So thanks for the laugh! As to the mythologies, not much yet, but possibly in the sequel. **Yes, I'm writing a sequel already. And guys it's coming out really well, pretty creepy, but really good! I can't wait for you to read it!!!** Anyway, thanks for reviewing, luv! You rock! Oh yeah, I know about all your references about mythology to the characters, but what about Rhiannon. I thought I knew what you were talking about, but then I was reading this celtic myths book and it was the wrong person! GAK! Tell me! I'm goin' crazy! *bows* Tell me, oh goddess of mythology! :-) Lol! Later!

****

Nitwit Blubber Oddment Tweak: Hello and welcome to my story! You have no idea how pleased and thrilled I was to find that I had a new reviewer! It made me so happy to know that you appreciated my story so much! Don't worry, I have no intention on stopping this story. Otherwise it might drive ME crazy too!! ;-) I hate to leave things unfinished. Thank you so much for your review! You drew some pictures from the quotes? Is that what you mean? If so, that is SO awesome! I wish I had that talent! I'm an okay artist, but not great. I wouldn't attempt to draw any of the HP characters, for fear of making their nose bulbous or something. ;-) Thanx again!!

****

Hollie: Ah! My darling little LOTR and HP friend!! So good to see you again!! Thanks for the looooooonnnnggggg reviews!! I luv 'em. :-) Thank you for all your compliments and encouragements! They are so helpful with the writing process of this story! I know what you mean with the Draco characterizations. If the person likes him, he's a hottie (well he is already, but we won't mention that *wink*) and gets the girls, if they hate him, well he just better kiss his life goodbye. :-) I hope that I've portrayed him accurately as being bad, but having a sensitive side, but not too sensitive. This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about. ;-) As for the thing between Rhiannon and Snape..............you'll have to wait and find out. ;-) Sorry!! I was really sad to hear that you won't be writing till next month. *Sniffle* But thats okay. I totally understand! I've had to do that before. Just take a break. Don't worry! I can't wait till you come back though!! 

****

Torrential Zephyr: Ack!!! *gives you a giant hug* Thank you so much! You have no idea what all your reviews mean to me! They are so awesome and detailed! You really take the time to go through and really read the story so that you can point out things that don't make very much sense, or stuff that flows really well, or if the characters are right on. That helps me SO much! I am so grateful to be receiving such great reviews from such a talented author! Keep writing your stories! I love them!! Both of them! Don't worry, I LOVE long reviews! ;-) Later!!

****

Whether Rose: Heh-heh, you've got impeccable timing! I was getting this file ready this morning so that I could post this afternoon and I thought, 'What the heck! I'll see if I have any reviews so I won't leave anybody out in my Author's Note, and BOOM!! There's some reviews from my buddy, Rose! I was so pleased and excited to receive them, you've no idea! I just love reading your reviews! You go so indepth and read so carefully so you can point out my good points, the stuff that strengthens the story and the stuff that doesn't quite fit. You have no idea how grateful I am for it! Thank you so much!! Don't worry about not coming back right away! I understand totally! Schedules can be hectic, and with you not feeling well......well it's doubley hard to do stuff you wanna do! Right now you should be working on getting better and feeling more up to speed. I don't mind in the least! I just want you to get to feeling better! I hope you are and I'm really glad the story helped to make you feel just a little, if any, better. :-) You're totally welcome for my compliment on your name! I do love it! It's so.......I dunno. Romantic, imaginative, almost wistful. Dunno, why 'wistful', but it just gets me thinking old-fashioned thoughts of days gone by. That's really weird. Does that sound weird to you? Well it does to me, but that's just what comes in my head. ;-) Thank you so much for all your help and encouragement! You're sweet too, just a doll! ;-) Later! Hope you enjoyed the speedy update. ;-)

Also thank you to **Sara Minks** (Keep writing your stories!! They are awesome!), and all the reviewers I've forgotten, but I don't think I have. ;-) Later!

****

T.H. 

P.S. This chapter was originally two chapters, but I combined them because the second one was too short. Is this too long? Tell me what length you would like me to make the chapters. It gives me a better idea on what to post. Thanks!!


	11. Preparations

**__**

This chapter is dedicated to the late Richard Harris.

__

Ask every person if he's heard the story,

And tell it strong and clear if he has not.

That once there was a fleeting wisp of glory called Camelot.

Don't let it be forgot,

That once there was a spot.

For one brief shining moment,

That was known as Camelot.

************************************************************************

__

****

CHAPTER 11.

PREPARATIONS

When they reached the safety of one of the tables near the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry told the others everything curious and unusual he'd discovered: the conversation he overheard between Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Hagrid after the disaster on the Quidditch field, of Rhiannon and Snape's secret conversation in the hall, of the startling knowledge that George's condition was worse than he let on, and of the image of the ghost standing behind Rhiannon. "This raises the question ONCE MORE, what in the world does Cedric want with us? With Rhiannon?" Ron asked, pounding on the Common Room table they were gathered at. 

"It should be quite obvious, Ron." Hermione said primly, glancing at him knowingly. 

"Well it isn't!" Ron snapped, his ears becoming very red indeed. 

"Tell us Hermione." Harry asked, seeing that Ron would be doing NO such thing any time soon. Hermione's hopeful glance fell and she pursed her lips, disgust evident in her features. 

"Honestly. We _all_ did a paper on Apparitions and Wraiths! Anyhow, when we learned about wraiths, we learned that all wraiths have one thing in common." She paused to see if anyone would catch on. Ron gestured at her impatiently. 

"Yes?"

Hermione gave another sigh and a shake of her head before continuing. "After they die, if a wraith has unfinished business or feels he or she needs to haunt the earth until a certain duty is finished, they go to people whom they're connected with, whom they've known in their lifetime." She explained. 

"So in other words, the reason we can see Cedric is because he knew us." Harry said slowly. 

"And because we were present, or nearby at the time of his death." Hermione added. Harry and Artemis nodded with understanding, but Ron's forehead remained furrowed. 

"Alright, him hanging around us, I can understand. Him hanging around _Rhiannon_, that's a little fuzzy. I mean, I don't think he ever even _met_ her! How could they be connected?" Ron asked.

"Ron you don't know that. It _is_ possible that he met her once or twice and you never knew about it. After all, this is the first time in a long while that you've seen Professor Flutterae, and we rarely, if ever, associated with Cedric. Harry was the only person who really got to know him somewhat because he was in the Tri-Wizard Tournament." Hermione explained. Ron shook his head stubbornly and crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Whatever. I don't think she ever met him. It doesn't make sense." He said firmly. Hermione threw her hands in the air. 

"Alright then, _fat-head_. Then the only way to find out for sure is to ask Professor Flutterae or," She paused, taking a small breath before continuing. "Contact Cedric."

Ron jumped to his feet angrily. "NO WAY!" He yelled. 

"SHHH!!!" Everyone hissed in unison. Ron blushed and sat down quietly. 

"Will you keep it down?" Hermione hissed. Ron leaned closer to her and whispered fiercely, 

"Well if you would quit coming up with these stupid, suicidal ideas, maybe I could keep myself under control. But as it is!" Harry shook his head. 

"If you two are just going to fight, what's the use of talking about this?" He whispered. 

"I wouldn't be fighting if she would just quit coming up with these awful ideas." Ron hissed.

"Look, there's something else we've gotta worry about." Harry said, glaring at Ron. "The conversation between the teachers and Hagrid. Now obviously Hagrid and Madame Maxime are doing something for Dumbledore, but is it really to get the giants to join our side?"

"I don't think we'll ever know. Hagrid is gone." Hermione said quietly, her face quite pale, for it was the first she'd heard of the conversation between the teachers. Ron and Harry stared at her, their eyes just about popping from their heads. 

"_What_?" Ron whispered, panic entering in his voice.

"He's gone. Left this morning. I saw him leave, and he told me to keep it quiet. If anyone asks I'm supposed to tell them that he's gone abroad to get more animals for Care of Magical Creatures classes." Hermione said quietly. Ron let loose a great groan and Harry rested his face on his arms with a sigh.

"Look, let's just forget about it till the Yule Ball is over, okay? That way we can just give our brains a rest." Artemis reasoned. 

As the group nodded wearily, a creak on the steps alerted them to someone's presence. They slowly turned to look on the stairs and saw a white-faced figure slowly descending the Boys' staircase, eyes wide, staring, almost like a, "_Dead_, _person_." Ron gulped. 

The figure continued to walk down the steps, it's eyes fixed on the group at the table. Slowly, Hermione and Artemis turned away, unwilling to look at it. Ron stared at the table, muttering fervent prayers under his breath. Harry stared at it as it came closer, his eyes wide as he watched it get closer and closer to the table, stop, then stand directly behind Artemis and Hermione. He now saw that it was a boy who stood behind them, but in the shadows of the room, his face was hidden, as well as his expression. Ron squeezed his eyes shut as the boy came and stood directly behind the girls. Artemis and Hermione's breaths now came out in quick gasps, trying to calm themselves down as they felt the presence behind them. Harry watched as the boy slowly extended a ghostly white hand and slipped it over Artemis' shoulder. She shuddered as she felt his touch and then jumped as the boy spoke in a cool whisper, 

"What in the gory heck are you guys doing out so late?" George Weasley whispered.

There was a general uproar in the room. Ron, who had covered his head and cowered when George approached, now let loose a gasp, as one does when holding their breath for too long. Hermione's breath, much to her dismay, came out in a shrill squeak, which caused her great discomfort later. Artemis jumped from her seat, took George's arm and pulled her wand from her pocket. "_LUMOS!_" She called, and held the lit wand up to the boy's face. The face was very pale, but nonetheless George's. "_Nox_." Artemis whispered with relief. 

"What's up? You think I was a ghost or something?" George laughed. 

"Not funny." Ron muttered. 

After George had revealed himself, Ron had thrown his head on the table with relief and he'd remained there, unwilling to look up again into the darkened room. 

"You scared us to death!" Artemis murmured. 

"Sorry. Didn't mean to. Just heard someone yelling and I thought I'd check it out. You better get to bed before someone hears you and comes up here." George warned. Artemis nodded and looked closer into his face. 

"George, do you feel alright?"

George stiffened a moment and so did Harry. Harry shuddered and put his head in his hands. _Please don't ask him about the potion. Please don't ask him about the potion_. His mind whispered. 

"Yeah, just tired from getting woke up in the middle of the night by my big-mouth brother." George said cheerily. Artemis was silent for a moment, then nodded. 

"Yeah, I'm sure you would be." Harry breathed a long sight of relief. 

"Well I'll see you guys tomorrow. The day after tomorrow is the Yule Ball and you'll wanna get plenty of sleep!" George said with a wan smile. 

"Who are you going with George?" Artemis asked with a smile. George's smile dampened slightly, but he regained it quickly. 

"Oh, Cho Chang!" Harry's head snapped erect. Artemis was nodding vigorously. 

"Oh yeah! I've met her! She's really sweet! That's great George!" She said happily. 

"Yeah, well, I'll see you tomorrow." George said, his smile remaining, but his voice taking on a quieter tone. 

"See you George!" Artemis called. George nodded and stepped up the stairs slowly to the Boys' room.

Harry breathed a loud sigh of relief. "I was so afraid you were gonna ask him about the potions." He said, glancing at Artemis. The girl nodded and pushed a strand of golden hair behind her ear as she sat down. 

"It did cross my mind. But then I figured it would lead to questions and stuff and how we knew it and then everybody would get in trouble. I didn't want that." She explained. 

"Bloody good thinking." Ron muttered, finally lifting his head from the table. "What are we gonna do?" He asked quietly. 

"We're gonna wait till the Yule Ball is over to figure everything out. That's the only thing to do." Hermione said softly, standing. "Let's go to bed. It's late already and we don't want to get in any more trouble." She added. Artemis nodded and stood as well. 

"See you boys tomorrow." Artemis said wearily as she and Hermione made for the stairs. 

"Goodnight." Harry and Ron said together as the girls walked away. Ron glanced at Harry. 

"Do you really believe all that hooey about Rhiannon knowing Cedric?" He asked. 

"I don't know what to believe anymore, Ron." Harry said softly. 

__

Preparations for the Yule Ball began as early as the next morning as the snow fell down softly on the Hogwarts grounds. There were no classes, and the students were given a free day for the Christmas holiday. This was partially to make up for the fact that the children who normally went home during the holidays, were now not able to do so with the turn of events. Frantic parents owled the teachers and Head Master Dumbledore, but he sent them back the same patient message of explanation that the safest place for them, would be Hogwarts.

Another glitch resulted because of this new rule as well. "We're not gonna get live music like last time!" Ron said sadly. "Last year was really cool." He murmured. Harry laughed loudly at that. 

"How would you know? You were too busy griping and staring at Hermione and Viktor!" He laughed. For quite a few minutes, Artemis and Hermione had to restrain Ron from taking Harry's head off with his bare hands.

The castle was truly a lovely sight. Snow now fell from morning to night, never ceasing, entombing the castle in an icy covering that sparkled whenever the sun or moon's rays hit it. From the snowy grounds, the castle looked as if it was built out of ice and for the way it sparkled and shone, even a Muggle would believe it to be so. The Forbidden Forest didn't look nearly so frightening, for it's dark branches and crusted old trees had also taken on the garment of winter and their branches shook as they became laden with snow and ice. Hagrid's hut looked as though it was the creation of some giant child. Truly, one could not even tell that anyone lived in it, for with it's occupant gone, no reassuring breath of smoke issued from the top, nor did the door open or close. Therefore, the snow piled up at the door, encasing the whole thing in snow and ice.

The inside of the castle was just as beautiful, though not nearly so cold. The enormous fireplaces were going full blast constantly, keeping the numerous rooms of the castle warm and cozy. Christmas trees were going up in all the Common Rooms, as well as the Dining Hall and a few of the Professors' classrooms. Snape, of course, did not indulge the children in this matter. "Not like I expected him, the ol' Scrooge." Ron had muttered after he left Snape's glaringly undecorated classroom.

Professor Flitwick's Christmas tree was truly a marvel, for not only did he have revolving ornaments and other curious objects lining the branches of the tree, the tree was covered in several charms, including a charm which kept the branches lined with real, but unmelting snow. This was a marvel to the children, who every day before the holiday break, went up to the tree to touch the snow to see if it was truly real, only to pull their suddenly cold fingers back in amazement. Rhiannon's tree was most unusual, in fact, it was a tree that Hermione was enthralled with.

The tree was covered with the usual ornaments, but it also had numerous bits of paper hanging from it's branches. It was these bits of paper that attracted Hermione, for they were clues about a creature normally learned about in D.A.D.A.. Every day, Rhiannon would pluck one of papers from the tree, read off the clues, then wait for someone to guess the answer. Then that would be the creature the class would study that day. Hermione was in heaven. "Not surprisin' that she hasn't missed one yet." Ron muttered as Hermione's hand shot up once more in D.A.D.A.. Harry could only laugh.

Not even Draco Malfoy could bring him down, even though the Slytherin boy tried his hardest to do so. Draco had not forgotten Harry's aggrievance towards him in inviting Artemis to go to the ball with him, and he showed it. "Wait till the last minute like last time, Potter?" Draco called out before classes the day before break. "That's probably the only reason you asked Thornshadow. Isn't that right, Potter?" 

"Shove off, Malfoy! He asked in plenty of time and besides, I could have said 'no' if I wanted to, but I didn't. Besides," Artemis said, cocking her eyebrow as she gazed at Draco. "I don't see any girls rushing at _you_." Draco's usually pale face gained a tinge of pink as he eyed her, then turned away, suddenly interested in one of the revolving ornaments of the Christmas tree.

Now that the Christmas break was upon the Hogwarts students, there were several things that needed doing. Games of 'Exploding Snap', and 'Gobstones', were played with energy, and several were even spawned into tournaments among the houses. Artemis, who had never had time to play games such as these in Durmstrang, was delighted with both of them, but her favorite was 'Exploding Snap'. It was this game that Fred and George taught her to play with such deadly accuracy, that she became almost as good as they were and earned herself second place in the Hogwarts Houses showdown. "Perhaps though," Ron reasoned as he watched Artemis win yet another game. "She just likes it because she calls it 'Exploding Snape'." Indeed, if that wasn't the reason why she laughed so loudly whenever the opponent's pieces exploded, then it was terribly unusual to say the least.

The snow was also a source of entertainment for the students. Children could be seen outside from the early hours to just before supper time. Miniature Hogwarts', immortalized in snow and ice, graced the grounds all over. Two huge battling dragons, courtesy of Fred and George Weasley, stretched from the front door of the castle, all the way down to Hagrid's hut, where it's huge tail curled about it, then trailed off to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. 

"Not like we were gonna go _in_ the forest." Fred said, a twinkle in his eye. 

"No! Never." George added.

Harry ceased running through the halls of Hogwarts on his way outside as a sight arrested his gaze. He had been in a hurry due to the fact that he had forgotten his gloves when he and the others had gone outside to play in the snow, and he was just retrieving them. He skidded to a stop and watched the two ghosts who stood in the center of the busy hall, singing an eerie Christmas tune. The two ghosts, a man and a woman, made him think of his own ghost who sought to get through to him. This was what he thought of as he listened to the ghosts bidding their tidings of joy to the children of Hogwarts.

__

Merry Christmas! 

Merry Christmas!

Ring the Hogwart bell!

Merry Christmas! 

Merry Christmas!

Cast a Christmas spell!

Have a wondrous visit, Christmas!

Have a merry Christmas day!

Hover round the sparkling fire,

Have a merry Christmas day!

Find a broomstick in your stocking,

See the magic on display.

Join the owls' joyous flocking,

On this merry Christmas day!

Ding, dong! Ding, dong! 

Ring the Hogwart bell!

Ding, dong! Ding, dong!

Cast a Christmas spell!

Ding, dong! Ding, dong!

Make the Christmas morning bright!

Fly high across the sky,

Light the Christmas night!

  
Merry Christmas! 

Merry Christmas!

Ring the Hogwart bell!

Merry Christmas! 

Merry Christmas!

Cast a Christmas spell!

That afternoon and all that evening till supper, the teens built a massive snow fort. "You know, having magic is helpful when making turrets I've noticed." Artemis said offhandedly as she levitated her huge snow brick onto the large turrets of the snow fort that stretched into the sky. 

"You know what else is handy?" George asked from behind her. 

"Hmm?" Artemis asked, not paying any attention as she carefully lowered the brick into place. That was why she was so startled when she flew forward from an icy impact on the back of her head.

She quickly whirled around and stared at George, who was spinning another snowball into existence with the magic of his wand. "They make perfect snowballs!" George cried cheerily. Artemis narrowed her eyes and spun two snowballs into her hands, tossing them with all her might at George. George quickly batted them away, and Artemis waved her wand at them, causing them to careen back on course, towards the back of George's head. George did not notice them and fell forward in the middle of making more snowballs. Artemis laughed and raised her wand and yelled, 

"TO THE FORT!" Quickly, Harry, Ron and Hermione joined her behind the fort. 

Ron crept in one of the turrets of the fort and saw the equally large fort that the twins and Lee Jordan had made across from them. "Oh, not good." Ron muttered as about ten snowballs flew through the air. When the youths' heads all carefully raised again, they saw the three boys spinning more snowballs towards them. Quickly, the youths ran each other out of their forts. "Lots more, gritty this way!" Ron yelled in between pants. Both teams flung snowballs at each other, some hitting each other right on, others missing by miles. As the game seemed to be at an end, George flew some of his snowballs at the opposite team, but saved one, holding it in his hand as he eyed Artemis with a grin. Artemis raised her eyebrows. 

"George Weasley, don't _even_ think about it!" She warned. 

But it was too late. George flung the snowball and it hit her squarely in the face. She leapt after him with a roar and knocked him to the ground, where she dropped down beside him and began shoving snow down his coat. Ron and Harry were running to help her when they all froze. The dinner bell was ringing. Artemis stood to follow the others, but offered her hand to George, who was still on the ground.He quickly accepted it, but promptly pushed her down and ran off, laughing merrily. Artemis jumped to her feet and chased after him, catching him with two snowballs in the back of the head and smacking him hard afterwards. 

After dinner, the girls immediately disappeared to their rooms. "Why in the world Hermione?" Ron asked. 

"Because, we've got to get ready!" Hermione explained. 

"But the stupid ball is _tomorrow_ for Merlin's sakes. Why now?" He asked. Hermione chuckled and laid a hand on his shoulder. 

"Just don't worry about it. It's a girl thing." She said with a smile as she rushed up the stairs. 

"See you Harry! Can't wait for the ball tomorrow!" Artemis said cheerily as she started up the stairs. 

"Hey Artemis!" Artemis turned back around and saw George Weasley standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up at her. 

"What color are you gonna wear tomorrow?" He asked. 

Artemis faltered and stepped down a few steps closer with a smile. She leaned down close to his ear, her eye on Harry as she whispered it to him. His face lit up and he grinned. "You'll be a knock-out an' no mistake! Now get on! You'll wanna get your beauty sleep, not like you need it though." He said with his same cheery smile. Artemis faltered again, but returned his smile as she rushed up the stairs. As Harry watched George, the sickening feeling that had been eating up his stomach since he'd found out about George's crush on Artemis, thickened and he felt worse than ever. George stood there a moment, his hands in his pockets before he turned around with a sigh. He rubbed Ron's hair good-naturedly and turned towards the bedrooms. "I'm goin' to bed Ronnie. Get some sleep. You're gonna need it. Night Harry." George said tiredly as he trooped towards the bedrooms. 

"Night George." Ron and Harry said together, gazing after George with worried eyes.

"Well, this is a jolly good fix. You're goin' out with Artemis, which is a weird thing because George likes her, an' you think that Draco has a thing for her, which is weird too. I'm goin' with Hermione, which is NOT so weird. Looks like you get all the luck, weirdo boy." Ron said with a smile. Harry scowled at him. 

"_Thanks_." He muttered. 

Harry did not go to sleep early that night. He instead, waited in the corner of the Common Room, his invisibility cloak over his body. He waited for a long time, till the midnight bell rang. A few minutes after, a lanky figure with bright red hair that reflected in the dim glowing lamps, stepped off the stairwell. He looked about him cautiously, then dashed out the door and into the halls, his footsteps echoing behind him. Harry sighed and shook his head. So it was true. Fred was going once more to help his twin, who needed help only a potion could give.

__

************

When Harry awoke in the morning, he found to his surprise several presents at the foot of his bed. Ron woke him up early and the two boys rushed to them excitedly. For Ron, there was yet another maroon sweater, but this was compensated for by the slick red and gold Keeper gloves from his parents. 

__

We heard what a wonderful game you played from Rhiannon and Professor Dumbledore and even Professor McGonagall! We are so proud of you Ron! Keep out of trouble and be safe! Happy Christmas! 

Mum and Dad

Ron sighed with satisfaction as he slipped the Keeper gloves on and waved them about in front of his face. "Very slick. Very nice." He murmured happily to himself as he eyed his red and gold fingers. 

"Well, are you finally satisfied?" Harry asked with a smile. 

"Whaddya mean?" Ron asked, his forehead furrowing. 

"You finally got something new for once!" Harry laughed. Ron's forehead remained furrowed for a time, but then he grinned. 

"Yeah I did, didn't I? Aren't they beauties?" Ron asked, showing off his gloves. 

"Yeah, really great!" Harry agreed. He opened the present from the Dursleys and shook his head as he held up a single penny.

__

We didn't feel like buying you a present so buy yourself something at that school! Not sure what you'll be able to buy, but it was all we could spare, so make the most of it. Have a jolly Christmas. 

Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Dudley

Harry chuckled and laid it off to the side as he opened his present from Mrs. Weasley. Inside were several presents, one proclaiming, **TO RON AND HARRY: FROM CHARLIE**, the other addressed as, **TO HARRY: FROM MOLLY AND ARTHUR WEASLEY**. Ron peered into the box with excitement as he looked in the large box. "A present from Charlie? How awesome! Wicked! Lets open it up!" Ron said excitedly. The package was flat and inside they found a large yellow envelope. Harry picked up the card, written in Charlie's slanting penmanship and read,  


__

Dear Ron and Harry,

Was thrilled to hear that you both made the Quidditch team! Therefore was inspired to muck about through my stuff and find all these things. Hope you enjoy them and hope you keep yourselves out of trouble and have a Happy Christmas!! 

P.S. Hope you like the stones. Could only find them on the spur of the moment. Was lucky that I found two!! Good luck!

Ron frowned then peered at the sealed envelope in Harry's hands. "Stones? Huh. Lets see what he put in the envelope!" He said excitedly. He watched as Harry slowly opened the envelope and peered inside. It looked like it was filled with papers. They frowned until they pulled them out and looked at them. They stared with wonder at them. They were pictures and articles. The front page read, **"WEASLEY BOY ONE OF THE BEST SEEKERS IN BRITAIN!" **Following it, was a long article about Charlie. 

Then there was a play book and statistics and even a page from _Witches' Heartthrobs_, which showed Charlie grinning shyly on the poster. Ron scoffed at that, but quickly posted it on the wall, along with another poster of Charlie mid-dive on his broomstick. He then took the statistics and added them as well. Soon they had almost a little shrine on the wall of Charlie and Quidditch. "Thats bloody nice of him. I never knew he had these things." Ron said wonderingly as he looked at the posters. Harry did not respond as he looked at the newspaper article in his hands. It showed a picture of Charlie diving close to the ground, his scarlet and gold robes flashing in the bright sun, then the loud and blaring headline read, **"FAMOUS WEASLEY BOY REFUSES TO JOIN BRITAIN'S QUIDDITCH TEAM!"** "Lemme see that." Ron said, peering over Harry's shoulder.

__

The now famous Quidditch player, Charlie Weasley, made a startling announcement this Thursday, reports talented, female informant, **RITA SKEETER**. "I'm not going to play Quidditch anymore," The heartbroken boy said. "I'd prefer to go study dragons. It's my parents' wishes." The boy was quite obviously saddened by this sudden change of events, so close to the British team's tryouts. Had he made the team, Charlie Weasley could have been one of the most famous players of all time. But because of his parents' cruelty, Charlie Weasley will be shipped off to Romania as soon as possible to study dragons. "It's a bad bit of business," He said with a sigh, his bright blue eyes, the same eyes that cause numerous teenage girls to go wild whenever they're fixed on them, filling up with tears. "But I must respect my parents. They do mean well, but it's still going to be hard to give up everything I've ever loved. You know?" We certainly did know and we tried to contact his parents to figure out why in the world they'd want to commit such a monstrosity, but they were unavailable for comments. So the story is. This Cinderella story has ended for Charlie Weasley, and instead of Cinderella getting the prince and the riches, she's shoved back to the fireplace to get all dirty and covered with cinders.

~ Reporter Rita Skeeter.

"Oh good Lord!" Ron yelled as he laughed. Harry shook his head and eyed the post-it note on the article from Charlie.

__

Isn't this a hoot? She's crazy I tell you! Plumb crazy! Wonder what ever happened to her. ~ Charlie Weasley

"What a moron." Ron muttered, sticking the article on the wall."Don't care about the article. Its a great picture of Charlie though. Right in the middle of a dive." Ron said proudly as he looked at it. As Ron admired the picture, Harry dug his fist into the box and was surprised to feel smoothness. He pulled it out and held it in the palm of his hand. It was a smooth, polished stone, brilliantly colored, streaked with fiery red and orange that seemed to gleam through its translucent surface. "Gory hell!" Ron yelled as he grabbed it out of Harry's hand. 

"Hey!" Harry said as he grabbed for the stone. 

"Get your own! It's probably in there somewhere! Charlie said he found two! He IS right. I'm amazed he even FOUND two." Ron said wonderingly as he turned over the stone in his hand.

Harry dug deep in the box and finally found the other stone. This stone was just as smooth, but there was one jagged cut on the bottom, shaped like a lightening bolt. Harry smiled wistfully as he held it in the palm of his hand. Light that entered through it seemed to cast fiery shadows of red and orange on his palm and danced across his face. He smiled and looked up at Ron. "What is this thing?" He asked. Ron smiled and sat down beside him. 

"Its a piece of draconite." He started. Harry raised an eyebrow. 

"Don't tell me they named this after Draco Malfoy?" He asked. Ron punched him in the arm good-naturedly. 

"No! Don't be a git. What you've got in your hand is basically cooled dragon fire." He said proudly. 

Harry stared at him in surprise. "Really?" He asked in amazement, looking at the stone with a new interest. 

"Yeah. See what happens is sometimes when a dragon breathes fire, he sometimes blows it into a lake or something. Something liquid. Anyhow, sometimes parts of the lake or liquid will turn into one of these stones, like the water consumes it or something. I can't remember exactly. Charlie told me one time, but I wasn't really listening. But this is basically cooled fire. They're really rare because most of the time, the stone sinks to the bottom of the lake where it happened and no one finds it. Its supposed to be good luck and it's got a little bit of magic in it." Ron said with a wink. 

"Why?" Harry asked. 

"Because it's dragon fire. You can't tell me that you think dragons don't have a _little_ bit of magic in them, can you?" Ron asked with a smile. Harry chuckled and shook his head, gazing at the beautiful stone in his hand.

__

The other presents were quickly opened by Harry. The one from the Weasleys contained a sweater in a lovely shade of green, which the letter 'H' knitted in the middle in a vibrant gold. Ron shook his head sympathetically. "So she's started doing it to you too, 'eh?" He asked with a sigh as he regarded the sweater. 

"No, it's not bad actually." Harry said, pulling the sweater over his head. "Not bad at all." He said admiringly. Ron simply rolled his eyes and shook his head. There was one more present, very small, with an envelope attached to it. Harry opened the envelope first. There was a letter in Sirius' slanting script.

_Harry, _

I hope you've forgiven me for not writing to you sooner. I apologize and am terribly sorry. I did receive your letter that you sent from the Weasleys. Stick close with the Weasleys. I think you will be far safer in their company than in someone else's. You have not written me since then, which is most likely a good thing since I'm in hiding. I wouldn't want an owl trying to find me where I'm at. But I did hear about the '**Lucrum Insperatum**', the storm that occurred during the Quidditch game. Dumbledore has told me that this what he and the others have identified it as. Have they told you of it? What it means? I cannot explain. It is far too involved for this letter. However, I can tell you this: this is terribly bad business, Harry. Not good at all. Someone with the power to conjure up a '**Lucrum Insperatum**' has the power to destroy you. And combine that with the sign of Voldemort taking place during the storm? Well, it's not good Harry. Keep away from suspicious characters, PLEASE. I don't want anything to happen to you because I cannot be there. Curse Peter Pettigrew! No, I regret that. I don't curse him. I regret his actions. Don't try to reply, Harry, please. I know this leaves you in a bit of a bind, but please know that I am trying to get to you, to get to a place where you can respond to me. I'll send you a note as soon as I get to such a place. Happy Christmas! Hope you like the present. Not very fun I'm afraid, but perhaps can help you through these troubled times. Trust that you will learn how it works. Good luck and Happy Christmas!!!

Your Godfather,

Sirius

__

P.S. I included the pictures after I wrote this. I was able to find them by some miracle. Thought you might like to have them. 

Harry smiled wistfully, then set the letter aside and peeled open the wrapping paper. The first things he saw were the pictures. He pulled them out and stared at them. They were wizard pictures, therefore, they moved. In the first picture was an official picture he realized. It was him just before his first birthday, eight months it said on the back of the photo. He watched as his mother positioned him on the carpet that sat on a large box. He promptly fell over. His mother laughed merrily and pulled him back up, handing him a toy rubber duck before running her hand through his black hair. Little Harry grinned and kept his balance. He looked up into the picture, smiling for all he was worth.

Harry smiled, then flipped to the second picture. It startled him, for he had never seen one like it. It was him as a child, ten months old. He and his parents were in the picture, he was in his mother's arms, but there was another person in the picture: Sirius Black, in his younger days. He stood in the picture, a glass of water in his hand as he chuckled about something with James. Then he leaned down and stuck his finger in front of Harry, which the baby promptly grabbed and attempted to bite. Sirius laughed hard and withdrew it, but pulled a familiar object from the coat hangar by the door. Baby Harry watched him with wide eyes as Sirius drew the invisibility cloak around himself, leaving only his head uncovered. He gave Harry a look of mock surprise and shock as he looked down at the empty space where his body should have been. Harry laughed and put it aside. 

The last picture was one of him and his parents when he was first born. He was only a newborn, but his little tufts of hair that stuck straight up on his head were still jet black. His parents leaned over his figure, smiling and whispering to him, occasionally glancing into the camera to smile and point at Harry. Harry sighed and set the pictures on his bed. 

Then he looked down at the other object in his hand. He held it in his palm, feeling it's weight. It was a ring, rather heavy and made of silver. The jewel was of the deepest black, but it looked as though there was more hiding in it's ebony depths. It sat there in the palm of his hand and he simply watched it, wondering what the secret was. He could tell that there was some trick or hidden meaning in it, he just didn't know. He ran his fingers over the ring. Then his eyes caught the inscription on the band. He squinted and looked closer. 

Etched into the silver were two letters: **S. B.** Harry shook his head. He wouldn't let Sirius give this to him. It had been Sirius'. What if it was some crazy thing to protect him and Sirius had given it to him to keep HIM safe? He wouldn't let him do that for him. _Okay, thats all well and good, but how are you gonna make him take it back?? HMM?_ His mind asked. Harry sighed, for he knew there was nothing he could do. He slipped the ring on his middle finger, not expecting it to fit. After all, it had been _Sirius'_. How was it supposed to fit him? To his surprise, the ring band widened, then adjusted to fit his finger snugly. Harry stared at it, then tried to shake it from his finger, expecting it to fall off. It did no such thing.

__

"Cool!! Who gave that to you?" Ron asked, his mouth filled with the candy that Fred and George had stashed at the end of his bed in the middle of the night. 

"Sirius. Do you know what it is?" Harry asked, holding the ring out to him. Ron shrugged and shook his head. 

"I know what the _stone_ is, but I don't know if it applies to the whole ring." Ron said. 

"Whats the name of the stone?" Harry asked breathlessly, hoping for some clue. 

"It's a _Sugilatio Flammae_." Ron said easily. 

"What does that mean?" Harry asked. Ron shrugged and smiled sadly. 

"Don't know. Only time I've seen one is when Charley brought one back from Romania." He said sympathetically, before shoving another candy in his mouth. His sympathizing expression quickly changed, as he morphed into a tiny yellow canary. It took only a few seconds before the canary exploded into a caterwaul of angry chirps and squeals. In a few more seconds, Ron sat on the ground, panting and still yelling loudly. "THOSE GORY PRATS! I'M GONNA KILL 'EM!" He yelled, shaking his fist. Harry laughed hard at the Weasley twins' cleverness, then proceeded to tease Ron about it until Ron threatened to stuff a Canary Creme down HIS throat.

************************************************************************

**__**

Author's Note: I'm sure you guys all heard about the late Richard Harris. :-( He was one of my favorite actors, just because he didn't like to follow the style of other actors before him and submit to the matinee mold. He did his own thing, and didn't care what people thought. Also, he's been one of my favorite actors since I saw him in "Camelot" when I was a kid. That's the one musical that I love completely. Most other musicals, I like either most of the songs, or just one or two. But I love "Camelot". Anybody else? :-) But whenever I think King Arthur, I think Richard Harris, and what a perfect Arthur he was. *sniffle* He ALWAYS makes me cry in that movie. If you guys haven't seen it, try to see it. :-) Okay, I'll get on with it. Let's just pray for his family, who're probably going through a rough time. 

Okay guys! Let's give Torrential Zephyr a BIG round of applause for getting through my exceedingly long chapters! WHOOHOO!! ;-) Well, this was a little lighter chapter. The next chapter (the Yule Ball) is even lighter. Just giving you guys a break from all the death and destruction. :-) Thank you all so much for all the amazing reviews! I can't tell you how much they mean to me. Because of them, I've become a much better writer, I think. :-) They help me so much in that aspect, but also in keeping me excited to see your guys' reactions for the next chapters. Thank you so much!! FIFTY POINTS FOR ALL OF YOU!! ;-)

Oh yeah, and I didn't make up the song in the chapter. I owe all credit to John Williams. It's on the Philosopher's Stone soundtrack. SORRY! Sorceror's Stone. Jeesh. It's on track 12, called "Christmas at Hogwarts". It's rather freaky. When I got the cd, I was listening to it while I was doing my homework and all of a sudden all the music stopped except this eerie noise and the sound of whispering voices, and I was like, 'What?'. *chuckles* I was having a "Sixth Sense" moment. But it's pretty cool when you listen to it. In case you don't know, that same song is actually sung partially in the film by the ghosts of Hogwarts when Hermione is walking into the Great Hall to tell Ron and Harry good-bye for Christmas holidays. 

****

Hollie: *gives a big hug* Thank you so much for your praise and constructive criticism! *blushes* I'm J.K. Rowling?! Wow! I mean, well, yes, of COURSE I am. *chuckles* Thanks for all your heaping praise. Not sure I deserve all of it, but I enjoy it just the same. :-) I'm SO glad you decided not to stay off ff.net for a month. Don't know what I would have done! And you would have gotten SO behind in this story. ;-) Yep, I've already started on the second one, of course, when it'll be out, I dunno. I'm writing it while I'm posting this one, so HOPEFULLY it will be at least almost done by the time this one is finished. HOPEFULLY. But if it isn't, I'll keep you guys posted. **Heh-heh, I'll reveal the title of the sequel to this story at the very end of this story. And maybe a tidbit or two from it. :-)** Thank you so much, you're so sweet! :-) Luv ya!

****

Nitwit Blubber Oddment Tweak: *sniffle* Your name reminds me of Dumbledore, who reminds me of Richard Harris. *sniffle* Man, I loved him. Okay, done with my sobby moment! I'm THANKING people, here. :-) I agree with you and Hermione. Ron is COMPLETELY cute when he's angry. ;-) I'm so glad that you've joined my little story! I'm so glad to get your opinions and views! Thank you!

****

Kora: Heh-heh, don't worry. The HP people aren't coming after you with pitchforks YET. ;-) I'll make sure they don't. Lol! Don't worry! It's completely okay! I enjoy reading your reviews because you've got such different views on stuff. You're still my buddy (and #1 fan). After all, when did you first start reading my stuff? Newsies! That was ages ago. Like three years ago, wasn't it? Dunno. But that's a long time! And especially since my Newsies stuff is less than wonderful compared to my stuff now. *gulps* Oh well, maybe someday I'll repost some of the earlier Newsies ones. Rewrite them. Who knows? But thank you for your reviews! I don't care how much or how little you say, just to know that you enjoy it is enough for me! Thanks!

****

Giesbrecht: Hello! Thanks for reviewing! Especially since I love your stuff, I was pleased to get a review! :-) *blushes* yeah I know. I noticed that thing about Ron after a while, and I was like, 'ah, oop.' I am considering going back and reposting the early chapters just so the format will be better, like in the later chapters. But whether or not that will actually happen..........well, at least I have high expectations. ;-) I'd love to talk to you sometime! I don't get on IM that often, but I do e-mail.....gak! Sorry, my kitty is running all over my keyboard and rubbing her head under my chin saying how much she loves me. :-) My kitty's name is Pocus and her sister's name is Hocus. Quite clever no? :-) But now she's licking me and making it impossible to write. :-) Oh well. At least I know I'm loved, right? Thanks so much for reviewing! I really appreciate your constructive criticism!! 

****

Owen: Thanks for reviewing! I'm really glad that you decided to listen to your sister's badgering and came to read my humble story! I really appreciate it. And yes, your sister is crazy *ducks a wild punch from Hollie* but I love her anyway! 

****

WhetherRose: Ahhh! Buddy!! Are you getting back on your feet okay? Don't feel pressured to write if you don't feel like it! Sorry, I'm the mothering hen type. :-) I do hope you're feeling better though. I'm glad that you don't think that it is predictable. That makes me feel SO much better!! I really appreciate your reviews! They're chock full of praise and constructive criticism to help me write better, and they're LONG! :-) I love them. Love them! But I do love hearing from you because you're such an amazing writer yourself. Thank you so much for all your help! I do hope you're feeling better! Luv ya!

****

Torrential Zephyr: YAY! YOU DID IT!! *hands Torrential Zephyr a bouquet of roses* Congratulations! Now you're caught up! I never wanted you to go away, dear! I always love reading your comments and suggestions! They help me so much and you go so indepth when you read so that you can help me more! :-) Heh-heh, now I'm gonna go through your reviews and answer *some* of your questions, in otherwards, those that are not pertinent to coming events in the plot. *snigger* Minerva was the ahhhh, Roman?? I can NEVER remember, but anyway, her counterpart was Athena, who was the goddess of wisdom. Artemis was the goddess of the hunt and other things, but is characterized with a moon because she was a huntress. Her counterpart was Diana. But you were close! I love mythology too! :-) And you know what? I totally flubbed up in that part with the girl on the train, Jessica. *I* thought that a Mudblood was classified as those with at least one Muggle parent or both. But I don't think I'm right. :-) Oops. *chuckle* I think it would be hilarious if Harry named his broom too. I never thought about it before. Lol! OH! I have had that happen to me SO many times, when my computer poops out in the middle of a fabulously long review! So many times and every single time I wanted to slit it's throat, although, how I'd do that, I've no idea. ;-) It's completely okay. Artemis has long, blonde hair, and Rhiannon has fairly long, curly, brown-red hair. :-) Now you won't be feeling uncomfortable. ;-) Don't worry about your reviews being too long. I LOVE them, and obviously, I don't care about writing extremely long 'thank-you's' either. *chuckles* Thank you so much for all your comments! And don't worry. Part of the reason I was holding up the chapter was because I was getting some final tweaking done. :-) Glad you're caught up! 

Love you all!! Thanks so much!!

T.H.


	12. The Yule Ball

**__**

Author's Note: Okay guys, confession time. When I wrote this part of the story, I was under the impression that the Yule Ball was a regular occurance at Howarts from year to year. BUT, it did **not** occur to me that we hadn't heard of it till the fourth book, so *obviously* it wasn't a regular occurance. So lets just say that this Yule Ball was brought about by Dumbledore to take the students' minds off of the horrible occurances that they've been through in the last several weeks. The main reason for this chapter was to develop the characters a little more and to develop the relationships between the characters. A **VERY** lighthearted chapter, though there is a little foreshadowing. I hope you enjoy it! I certainly enjoyed writing it! It was good to write some lighthearted stuff after all the death and destruction! ;-)

Oh yeah, and I don't own any of the Muggle songs used in this chapter. Just borrowing. Heh-heh. 

T.H. 

************************************************************************

****

CHAPTER 12.

THE YULE BALL

"I am gonna kill myself. I swear to Merlin, I will." Ron muttered. 

"Oh shut up and be still! I can't get this thing straight if you don't be still." Harry said crossly as he helped Ron arrange his robes. However, despite Harry's dismissal of his worries, Ron continued to stare at himself in the mirror and spout his pessimistic views.

"I look awful. I do. I really do. I'm gonna look terrible and Hermione's never gonna speak to me again." Ron muttered as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. 

"Oh don't be such a pessimist. If this is what you're gonna be like when you get married, don't even bother inviting me to the wedding." Harry said. 

"I'm not gonna GET married if I have to get all these butterflies in my stomach! I feel like I'm gonna throw up!" Ron yelled. "You know, this would have been better if the girls had let us SEE them beforehand. But NOOOOOO, they didn't and now us guys are gonna throw up because of it." Ron said angrily. 

Harry shook his head and smiled as he pulled his own robes over his head. Since that morning, he and Ron had not caught one glimpse of Hermione or Artemis. They had gotten a message from Ginny, informing them that they were not allowed to see them till that evening. "It's just stupid. Stupid, stupid, gory girl stuff." Ron muttered. 

"Oh Ron, open your eyes! You look fine." Harry called from across the room. 

"No." Ron said stubbornly, crossing his arms across his chest, refusing to look at the mirror in front of him.

"Oh come now, dear! You look marvelous!" The mirror coaxed gently. But Ron shook his head firmly.

"Fine, be that way." Harry said, shrugging. 

A moment later, Ron cautiously opened his eyes and gazed at his reflection in the mirror in front of him. He eyed the dark green color that his mother had sent him, for once not picking maroon, to Ron's surprise. That was a secret between Harry and the twins. Their mother _would_ have sent along the maroon robes, but the twins, taking Harry's advice from the previous year, had bought him new ones in the latest fashion and the best color. Ron never knew the difference. Only Harry, Mrs. Weasley and the twins knew the truth.

"Well, I look.....okay." Ron said indifferently, but he couldn't hide the red blush that came over his cheeks and ears. "What am I saying? I look good!" Ron said proudly, turning to look at himself in the mirror. 

"I told you that you did, didn't I?" Harry asked. A sudden flutter arose in his stomach and he smoothed his robes nervously. "How do I look?" He asked. 

Ron turned around to look at him. Harry stood only a few feet away. He had tried his best to comb his black hair into some semblance of order and had actually succeeded, though a few stray hairs were slowly fighting to get back to their beloved disorder. The scarlet robes Harry wore, robes Mrs. Weasley had purchased for him with the help of Fred and George's money from Harry, were a brilliant shade and contrasted nicely with the fairness of his face. The black ring on his finger only accentuated the image. He looked almost noble standing there, but Ron wasn't about to tell him so and risk Harry getting proud on him. 

"You look great Harry! We both do." Ron said with a smile. A smile filled with relief crossed Harry's face and he nodded. 

"Good. I'm glad that's over." He said with a smile.

The knock on the door startled the two boys so badly that they almost jumped in the air. 

"Who is it?" Ron called out in a cracked and all-together nervous voice. Fred and George poked their heads through the crack in the door. 

"You boys all ready?" Fred asked with a grin. 

"Yeah." Harry replied. 

Fred stared in surprise and crossed his arms over his chest. George, who stepped in a moment later, reacted the same way and crossed his arms over his chest as well. 

"You boys look bloody good!" Fred commented. 

"Of course. We always do." Ron said with a smile. Fred grinned and ruffled his hair, which sent Ron jumping away. 

"Don't _DO_ that! I just got it fixed!" Ron yelped. Fred simply laughed, then placed a hand on his hip and struck a pose. 

"Well Harry? How do we look?" Fred asked. George grinned and struck a pose, stabbing the air with one finger. Harry suppressed a smile as he pretended to look at them critically.

He could tell them apart easier now. Fred wore emerald green robes, a color which brought out the color of his eyes and the color of his hair. George wore robes of an almost midnight blue, which also contrasted with his eyes and hair and the fairness of his face. They looked smashing. 

"You boys look great!" He said appreciatively. 

"You sure?" George asked with a frown, dropping the pose. "You took a mite too long deciding, I'd say." He said critically. Harry only laughed. 

"Easy Ron! You don't wanna comb out ALL your hair, now." Fred called as Ron brushed his hair with a fierce vigor. 

"Yeah, Hermione wouldn't like a _bald_ suitor!" George added. Ron turned to them, casting a deadly glare in their direction before giving his hair one final brush before he set the comb down.

"Hey Ronnie, you know what me and George got for Christmas?" Fred asked, flopping down on Harry's bed. Ron shrugged as he looked at his now grinning twin brothers. 

"Can't guess. What?" He asked. George grinned broadly and looked as though he could jump for joy. 

"We got an _owl_!" He said excitedly. 

"A WHAT?" Ron almost yelled. Fred and George grinned and nodded rapidly. 

"Yeah! A real _owl_!" Fred concurred. 

"But who from?!" Ron protested. George finally consented to his feelings and gave a slight jump in the air. 

"Artemis! It's for delivering papers and stuff for our joke shop!" He said happily. Beside him, Fred sighed dreamily. 

"Just think. All those orders and being able to send and receive them without Mum breathing down our necks." Fred said blissfully. Ron rolled his eyes. 

"You guys are pathetic." He muttered. 

"We'll show her to you after the ball." George said jumping to his feet. 

"Who? Artemis?" Fred asked, a gleam in his eye. George scoffed and cuffed his twin on the arm. 

"You dumb-bell." George said affectionately. 

Ron shook his head and let loose a shaky sigh. "Well, what do we do now?" He asked. 

"Well, we go downstairs to wait for the girls. It's almost time, you know." George said with a wink. 

"Say George, what color is Artemis wearing?" Harry asked, suddenly thinking of the exchange between the two students the other night. George grinned and wagged his finger at Harry. 

"That's for me to know and for you to find out, Potter." He said. Harry rolled his eyes and walked out the door with Ron and the twins. They stood at the entrance to the dining hall, pacing uneasily. Well, Harry and Ron did. Fred and George simply watched them with laughing eyes, their arms crossed over their chests. 

"You guys are pathetic." Fred said with a smile. 

"Oh, cut me some slack, alright!" Ron snapped. "The last Yule Ball didn't go so well you know." He added. Fred nodded. 

"Yeah I know, but this is different." He said. 

"Yeah, tonight you'll be with the woman you _looove_." George said with a wink. Ron stared at them incredulously. 

"I hope Alicia and Cho step on your feet." Ron muttered.

Suddenly Fred let out a loud whistle as he stared at the people who walked down the hall. Harry had expected it to be Alicia, but to his surprise, it was not. It was Ginny Weasley. A few feet away, Harry saw Neville grow bright red, but grin broadly as he saw her, causing a faint blush to pass over Ginny's cheeks. Even Ron could not suppress his pride as he saw his sister walk up to them. Her red hair was pulled back in an elegant bun on her head, red tendrils framing her fair face. Her robes were a dark, crimson red and on her neck was a string of garnets, with two pearls on either side of the largest garnet. 

Ron shook his head, but smiled. "I see you got Mum's garnets." He said. Ginny grinned at him. 

"Yeah, she said that if I lose them, I'll be washing the dishes without magic for a year." She responded cheerily. Ron chuckled as he took her in. 

"I daresay Ginny, you're a right knock-out." Fred said. 

"You look like you just stepped out of a magazine Gin. You're just beautiful." George added generously. 

"Thanks." Ginny said, blushing almost as red as Harry's robes. 

"Yeah Gin, you're just, great." Ron said, trying to find the words to describe his changed sister. Ginny smiled and put a hand on his arm to let him know that she understood his intentions. 

"I better go to Neville now. Bye!" She said cheerily, but nervously stepping over to Neville, who graciously extended his arm. Fred and George and Ron watched after her, their hands on their hips. 

"He better not do nothin' stupid," George murmured. 

"Or I'll kill him." Fred finished, narrowing his eyes. 

"Me too." Ron added. Harry suppressed a chuckle as he watched the protective brothers.

"Oh no." Ron whispered. Harry turned to Ron and saw that his face had turned a sickly white, the color of new parchment. 

"It's Hermione." He whispered in explanation. 

All of a sudden, the white faded away, quickly replaced by red that spread over his cheeks. Harry saw the two girls coming down the hall and would have dropped his jaw, if he hadn't noticed that Ron was trying hard not to do the same. Harry couldn't help but notice the change in Hermione. He had noticed it last year, but this year she looked even more radiant. Her hair was once more was silky and straight, but instead of wearing it in a bun as she had last year, it hung down her back. Her bangs were drawn back from her face in a slight chignon, with small braids surrounding it and hanging down her back with the rest of her long hair. She was dressed in elegant green robes, not as dark as Ron's but slightly lighter. On her neck rested the tiny jade necklace that Harry had heard her talk about. She smiled shyly as she approached Ron.

Harry was waiting for Ron to stutter, but he didn't. He smiled graciously and bowed slightly as she approached. "Hermione, you look great." He said simply. Hermione smiled with pleasure, and her cheeks flared with pink. 

"Well thanks, Ron. You look great too. And look, we match!" She said, noticing his robes. 

"Yeah! Ain't that, I mean, isn't that funny?" Ron asked. Hermione nodded with a smile, while Fred and George glanced at each other, then grinned and winked at Harry. Harry returned the grins. 

Suddenly, the butterflies that had occupied his stomach before when he was preparing for the ball, returned as he saw Artemis approaching. Unlike George, whose robes were such a dark blue that they were _almost_ midnight blue, Artemis had gone all the way, her robes an elegant midnight blue that seemed to shimmer in the light. She too had done her hair up, but she had done it all in braids. Her long blonde coils were strung over her head in an elegant design. Braids criss-crossed all about her head, winding about each other. The color of the robes shaded her ordinarily blue-gray eyes into a dark blue and they seemed to Harry to shine with an unearthly light. On her neck, on a delicate gold chain, was the small rosebud, still fresh and sweet-smelling as the day she'd first gotten it. She grinned as she approached him and he returned it. She smiled then whirled about in front of him. 

"So, how do I look? I better not do that anymore." She said, stopping abruptly. "I might wreck my hair." She said, winking at him. 

"Yeah! And it looks so lovely, you wouldn't wanna mess it up." Harry laughed, the shivering in his stomach slowly disappearing by degrees..

Artemis smiled. "Thanks, Harry. That's really nice of you to say." She said, blushing only faintly.

I meant it." Harry said sincerely. Artemis dropped her head and smiled. Over her blonde head, Harry saw George watching her, a gentle smile on his face. 

Hey Ron!" Artemis cried out suddenly. "You look almost decent!" She said with a teasing smile. Ron scoffed and shook his head. 

"I most always do, Artemis." He laughed. 

"Sure, sure." Artemis returned. "Harry, that color's great on you. It's really fabulous. Where'd you get the ring?" She asked in sudden fascination as she saw the black ring on Harry's finger. Harry held it up for her to see. 

"Christmas present." He answered. She took his hand gently and peered closer at it. 

"It's great. _Sugilatio Flammae _isn't it?" She asked, dropping his hand. 

"Yeah. At least that's what Ron says. You know what it's used for?" Harry asked. Artemis frowned and glanced again at the stone. 

"We learned about them in History of Magic in Durmstrang, but we didn't put especial emphasis on it. The professor simply said that it was used by Aurors to keep in contact with each other and to help them on missions, but he didn't go into specifics. He said there are so relatively few of them out there, that it was stupid to waste time learning about them. _I_ was intrigued, but obviously he wasn't." Artemis said with a wry smile.

"Hey good-lookin'." Artemis whirled around and faced Fred, who grinned broadly. 

"Fred, don't be rude." She admonished him firmly, but betrayed herself when a smile crossed her face. 

"Who said, _I_ said it?" Fred asked, glancing meaningfuly at George. 

"_I_ do, because I saw you." Ron put in, rolling his eyes as he did so. 

"You spoil all the fun," Fred started, then continued with a gleam in his eye. "Mister Canary." Ron grew bright red and shook his fist at him. 

"That was a dirty trick to play on your brother. And at _Christmas_ nonetheless!" Ron yelled. 

"Sorry. Couldn't help it. Too perfect of a setup!" Fred said cheerily. 

"You look absolutely fabulous, Artemis." Harry heard George say quietly. Artemis smiled and drew herself up.

"You like my robes? My Mum made 'em for me." She said, picking up the edge of her robes for him to see. 

"You're Mum's a great seamstress then, 'cause it looks smashing. Simply smashing." George's somber mood changed when he drew himself up proudly and posed for Artemis' speculation. 

"How do, _I_, look?" George asked dramatically. Artemis laughed hard and tweaked his nose, ruining his pose. 

"Aw, Artemis!" George moaned, coming out of his posture. 

You look fabulous too!" She gasped, speaking through her laughter. 

"What about me?" Fred put in. 

"You are identical, so you both look fabulous!" Artemis said kindly.

"Amazing, you all managed to look _slightly_ decent at least once in your lives, but of course, only a select few in this group can claim that honor." The group's merry looks hardened as Draco Malfoy eyed them coolly. 

"Shouldn't you be pointing that little remark back at yourself? Sometimes you don't look so _pristine_ yourself, Malfoy." Ron snapped back. Draco waved his finger at him. 

"Watch your mouth, Weasley. I know for a fact that I can look better than all you boys put together on any day at all." Draco said coolly. Ron seethed inwardly, but said nothing. Draco's eyes fell across Artemis, and it was on her personage that they rested for quite a long time. Harry noticed an almost happy gleam enter his eyes, as he spotted the necklace, but it disappeared before he could be too sure that it was even there.

Draco too, had managed to look the part of the debonair gentleman, as far as he could, of course. He was dressed in robes of black, the edges lined with silver. But, Harry noticed with disdain, it _did_ make him look good. He could tell by the way the obvious way the other girls were giggling and motioning towards the Slytherin boy. As Draco eyed Artemis, a small smile escaped from the corners of his mouth. 

"Well, see you on the dance floor then." He said, bowing slightly and walking off, Crabbe and Goyle not far behind him. Artemis watched him go, then shook her head and turned back around to the group. 

"I wish he'd stay with his own crowd." She muttered. 

The group turned around once more to see Professor McGonagall, walking hurriedly among them. 

"Alright! Line up in order of the boy's last name! We want alphabetical order according to the boy's last name." She called out sharply. 

"Why not by the girl's last name?" Raven Ritte, a rather feministic girl, called out snootily. 

"Because you are not going to be leading the dances. The _gentlemen_ are, Miss Ritte." Professor McGonagall replied, never missing a beat.

Ron turned to Harry with a smile. "Oh you hear that? We're _gentlemen_ now." He joked, jogging Harry's elbow. Then he turned to Hermione and said apologetically, 

"Sorry Hermione, but we're gonna be at the very end, even behind Fred and George." Hermione smiled and took Ron's arm. 

"I don't mind being last. That way we can make more of an entrance, and anyway we won't have to stand in line as long as Harry and Artemis will." She said with a smile. 

Artemis grinned and shook her fist at Hermione but said nothing as she and Harry moved to their place in line. Harry glanced behind him at Fred and George. Alicia Spinnet, dressed in royal purple, was holding Fred's arm and laughing as he teased her about something or other. George was standing with Cho Chang, dressed in a golden yellow, who smiled demurely as he whispered something in her ear. Harry drew himself back and instead looked at Artemis, who now stood at his side, clutching his arm. _She's gorgeous. I'm probably the luckiest guy in the whole school._ His mind whispered happily, but he could keep the twinge of regret from passing over his mind as he glanced at George.

The names were quickly beginning to be called out and Artemis and Harry moved up rapidly. They were required to process into the Dining Hall, then stand in a line and wait until all names were called. Harry tightened his grip on Artemis' hand as they drew closer to walking down the aisle. She looked at him and grinned. 

"Don't be nervous! Remember, if you trip, I trip." She said softly. 

That comforted him somewhat, in a weird sort of way, but it had done it's purpose. He was slightly more comfortable. He glanced back at Ron and Hermione, the latter of the two who gave him a thumbs-up sign and grinned. Harry watched as Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson walked down the aisle, Pansy flouncing, Draco walking with cool dignity.

Finally, Professor McGonagall called out their names loudly, a little _too_ loudly for Harry's taste, for he all of a sudden remembered George and winced. 

"HARRY POTTER AND ARTEMIS THORNSHADOW!" Professor McGonagall called. Artemis turned to Harry and gave him a winning smile. 

"Well, here goes. And if we fall, I'll kick you." She whispered jokingly. Harry chuckled and stepped out into the light of the Dining Hall. 

The tables and chairs were gone, save for a few chairs off to the side. The staff had outdone themselves this year. The tree was absolutely huge and extended to fabulous heights, every single branches covered with snow that fell from the ceiling and ornaments and lights of every kind. Holly hung from the boughs, wreaths were draped along the walls. It was perfectly lovely. Harry saw Bill Weasley standing off to the side of the room. He too wore dress robes. They were of a dark, rusty, red, which made him look, as Mrs. Weasley would say, 'half-way decent.' He winked at Harry and grinned. Harry returned the smile. Bill shook his head, and glanced off to the side. 

Harry quickly saw whom his gaze was fixed on: Rhiannon. Her hair was drawn back elegantly with several braids, very much like Artemis', but not nearly as elaborate. Her robes were of a delicate lavender that caught the eye with it's utter softness. She caught Harry's glance and smiled approvingly. It was these smiles and Artemis' lightheartedness that got Harry up to that line in one piece. He gave a sigh of relief as he and Artemis took their places in line. 

"We made it! See, we didn't fall!" Artemis whispered with a smile. Harry grinned and looked down at her. 

"Probably because I was so afraid that you'd kick me." He whispered back. 

She chuckled quietly and looked out at the remaining pairs walking down the aisle. Fred winked at Harry as he walked proudly down the aisle with Alicia Spinnet on his arm. George did the same, only Harry looked away after returning the wink that the twin gave him. 

"RON WEASLEY AND HERMIONE GRANGER!" Professor McGonagall called. 

Harry watched as Ron took a deep breath, whispered something that eased a grin out of Hermione and walked slowly down the aisle. They didn't trip, didn't break down. They walked smoothly together, arm in arm, unconcerned with anything around them. When they reached the line, Fred and George gave them two victorious thumbs up. After the last few couples walked in, Professor Dumbledore stood from his seat. 

"I would like to say a few words," He said slowly. There was a long silence before he spoke again. "Dance, dance, dance." The students laughed loudly as a smile spread across the Professor's face. "This ball has been put on for your enjoyment, to help ease the worries that you have suffered over the last several weeks. Enjoy yourselves! Lets...how do you say it? Boogie?" He said, sitting down. The students laughed hard at that, then grinned at each other as sudden music echoed and bounced off of the thick walls of the Dining Hall. 

Harry glanced at Rhiannon, who stood behind a table, on which stood her silver cd player that Harry had seen that day in her schoolroom. She moved rapidly to get things in order, smiling at the students who passed her by. 

"Well, Harry? Should we? Or are you afraid that I'll step on your toes?" Artemis challenged. Harry grinned and took her arm. 

"I'm not afraid of you, Artemis Thornshadow." He said, leading her out on the floor. 

"Oh you will be by this evening!" She laughed.After the first few songs, there was a slight pause and a moment later, Bill, who tapped his throat and whispered a few words, spoke over the sound, his voice now magnified. 

"This is the first song request of the evening. Keep in mind that you CAN request songs. Professor Flutterae will help you pick out some Muggle music if you want. Anyway, the first song request is for Artemis Thornshadow." Bill called. There was a chorus of giggles and glances in Artemis' direction. Artemis frowned and looked at Harry. He held his arms up. 

"I don't know who did it! I didn't." He explained. 

"I know. You've been here the whole time. Now who could have done it?" She mused out loud as she and Harry began dancing. Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione, the latter of the two who raised his eyebrows and gave him a thumbs-up sign. Harry rolled his eyes and listened to the music that poured out of the magnified sound that exuded from the cd-player.

__

I don't know what I was thinkin' when I seen her,

I just had to find a way I could meet her,

'Cause I've been dyin' for the chance just to treat her,

Like the ripe little peach she is.

At that, Artemis' eyebrows shot up rapidly. Then she began to laugh hard and Harry did the same. "Do you know Muggle songs?" Harry asked. "A few. I manage to listen to them when my Mum's not paying attention. This is Blessid Union of Souls." She said with a twinkle in her eye.

__

Wouldn't even cross my mind to deceive her,

She could lie through her teeth and I'd believe her,

I don't know her, but I know that I need her,

And I don't think she's got a notion that,

  
That's the girl I've been tellin' you about,

Ain't she everything I said and a whole lot more?

She got it goin' on and I never wanna be without her.

Thats the girl I've been tellin' you about,

She's been spinnin' in my head like a revolvin' door,

Her smile is like the sun and my whole world revolves around her.

Yeah.

I don't even think she knows that she moves me,

I can't explain it but she does something to me.

If she ever looked she'd see right through me,

And I don't think that I could keep my cool.

I could tell her that I wanna get to know her,

Take her places that I'd really like to show her.  
But I hear she's got somebody and he loves her,

But I don't think he's got a notion that,

Thats the girl I've been tellin' you about,

Ain't she everything I said and a whole lot more?

She's got it goin' on and I never wanna be without her.

Thats the girl I've been tellin' you about,

She's been livin' in my head like a recurring dream,

Whose smile is like the sun and my whole world revolves around her.

She lives in my head from the start of my day till night.

Every word that she says I'm hangin' onto so tight.

During the guitar solo, Artemis shook her head. "Who do you think requested it Harry? Who does it sound like to you?" She asked. Harry frowned as they danced through the crowds. 

"I don't know. Not, well," Artemis grinned, waiting for Harry to continue. 

"Draco?" She finished gently. Harry blushed, but nodded. "You're right. Doesn't sound like Draco." She agreed. 

"Nope." Harry agreed. 

"Who could it be?" Artemis whispered. 

__

That's the girl I've been tellin' you about,

Ain't she everything I said and a whole lot more?  
She's got it goin' on and I never wanna be without her, no.

Thats the girl I've been tellin' you about,

She's been rainin' in my head like a pouring storm,

Whose smile is like the sun and my whole world revolves around her.

Like a soul in the wind I've been lost since the day I found her.

What I've give to be everything she needs so I could live around her.

Got my arms open wide 'cause she knew they belonged around her. 

Harry glanced at Artemis, who was now glancing suspiciously at Bill and Rhiannon leaning over the cd-player. "Are you sure you can't think of anyone else?" Harry asked knowingly. At that, Artemis seemed to become flustered. 

"No. I don't think so." She said, avoiding Harry's gaze. 

"I know, Artemis. Its kinda obvious. For him anyway." At that Artemis breathed a sigh of relief. 

"You know about George?" She asked thankfully. 

"Yeah. He told me. Well, sorta anyway." Harry said. 

"What do you think?" Artemis questioned. Harry shrugged. 

"It could be." He said. 

"We've got another request ladies and gentlemen. Another one for Artemis, then we'll move on to other stuff." Rhiannon said quickly, as if embarrassed. Artemis' jaw dropped momentarily, then she grinned broadly. 

"Man, I'm popular!" She said. Harry shook his head and laughed. 

"Let's play 'Guess Who Loves Artemis', 'kay Harry?" Artemis asked with a smile. Harry laughed hard and nodded as they listened to the lyrics as they danced.

__

Somewhere there's speaking,

It's already coming in.

Oh and it's rising at the back of your mind.

You never could get it,

Unless you were fed it.

Now you're here and you don't know why.

But under skinned knees and the skid marks,

Past the places where you used to learn.

You howl and listen,

Listen and wait for the,

Echoes of angels who won't return.

He's everything you want,

He's everything you need,

He's everything inside of you,

That you wish you could be.

He says all the right things,

At exactly the right time,

But he means nothing to you,

And you don't know why.

Artemis grinned and raised her eyebrows. "Now THAT sounds like someone I know." She said. 

"Draco?" Harry asked. Artemis nodded and sighed. 

"I've kinda gotten that impression that, you know, he kinda likes me." Harry scoffed loudly. 

"KINDA likes you? Artemis, give the guy a LITTLE more credit! I mean, even I can see that he's got it bad for you." Harry said. 

"Yeah, I know. But I can't like a Slytherin can I?" She asked worriedly. 

"It all depends on you, Artemis. I can't make any decisions for you. There's no rule saying you can't like a Slytherin." Harry said slowly. Artemis sighed and nodded, listening to the lyrics.

__

He's everything you want,

He's everything you need,

He's everything inside of you,

That you wish you could be.

He says all the right things,

At exactly the right time,

But he means nothing to you,

And you don't know why.

I am everything you want.

I am everything you need.

I am everything inside of you,

That you wish you could be.

I say all the right things,

At exactly the right time,

But I mean nothing to you and I don't know why.

And I don't know why.

Why?  
I don't know.

"Oh Draco." Artemis murmured under her breath. "I wish he wouldn't do this." She whispered. 

"It's okay if you feel something for him." Harry said. Artemis raised her startled eyes to him and sighed shakily. 

"That's just it. I don't know WHAT I feel." She said. But then she brightened. "I just hope that he and George don't do this all night." She laughed. For the next hour, every now and then, Rhiannon or Bill would say that a song had been requested for Artemis and she would roll her eyes at Harry as they danced. After a while, Ron came up from behind them and smacked Artemis on the back. 

"My goodness you're popular!" He yelled over the blaring music. Artemis chuckled and nodded. 

"Aren't you impressed?" She joked. Ron shook his head and laughed. 

"It's embarrassing! If Mum hears 'bout this, she'll _kill_ George! Gotta go!" He yelled, turning back to Hermione with a smile.

Harry saw Artemis look behind her at George and Cho who were dancing together, but George was not looking at Cho. He was instead, glaring at a fair-haired Slytherin boy across the room, who glared right back. Artemis rolled her eyes. At that exact moment, Fred and Alicia bumped into the two. 

"Sorry! So, how are you liking your little personal concert, Artie?" Fred yelled. 

"I think it's rather pathetic!" She yelled back. Fred nodded vigorously. 

"Me too! George has been driving me nuts! He's been going up there every couple seconds and asking Rhia to help him pick out songs. I think Rhia's gonna go crazy! Having fun otherwise?" He asked. 

"Yup! Harry knows how to show a girl a good time." Artemis said enthusiastically. Fred shot Harry a wide grin. 

"Well good! Everyone is happy, even Ginny, well, can't say the same for George, but oh well! He'll get over it! See ya! Watch where you put your feet, Spinnet!" Fred yelled as Alicia stepped on his toes. 

"Look who's talking Mister Left-Feet." Alicia said, flipping her hair behind her. Fred grinned and rolled his eyes as they danced off.

Harry glanced first at Artemis, then back at George, whom he caught glancing quickly at Artemis, then back at Cho. He glanced back at Artemis, who smiled happily at him. He returned it, then stopped dancing and took her hands in his. 

"Artemis, why don't you dance with George?" Artemis' eyes widened. 

"But, don't you want to dance with me?" She asked, stuttering slightly. 

"Yeah, but I don't wanna ruin your evening, or George's." Artemis smiled gently, then frowned. 

"But what about Cho?" She asked. 

"Oh I'll find her someone to dance with." He said, trying to sound off-handed. But Artemis wasn't fooled. She punched his arm with a grin. 

"Harry Potter! I never would have thought it of you!" She laughed. Harry blushed and shrugged. 

"Thanks, Harry. Its so nice of you. I loved this evening and I have you to thank for it. Thanks. C'mon." She said, grasping Harry's hand gently and walking towards George and Cho, who were standing off to the side.

"Cho," Harry started. Suddenly she turned around and smiled. 

"Yes Harry?" 

__

She's so......pretty. Harry's mind whispered. Suddenly, he couldn't move, couldn't talk. A gentle nudge from Artemis, brought him back to reality. 

"Would you like to dance with me?" He asked quickly. Cho's face brightened and she glanced at George. 

"Do you mind, George?" She asked. George shrugged and shook his head, giving her a winning smile. 

"Nah, go ahead. Take her for a whirl, Potter." He said. Harry smiled and took Cho's hand and started out to the dance floor. But he turned around at the last minute and looked at George. 

"Why don't you and Artemis dance?" George's face brightened and his eyes sparkled. 

"Really?" He asked. 

"Yeah, after all, I might try to steal your date and you'll need someone to dance with." Harry said knowingly. George drew himself erect and saluted. 

"Yes sir!" He called happily. Harry grinned and walked out onto the floor.

"Well then, should we? Or is it shall we?" George asked, extending his arm to Artemis. Artemis grinned and took it. 

"We should and shall, Mister Weasley." She answered as they walked out onto the dance floor as the refrain of the song played around them.

__

If I could, then I would

I'll go wherever you will go,

Way up high or down low, 

I'll go wherever you will go. 

Harry glanced at Artemis as she danced with George, her hands in his, both of their faces flushing. For once, he noticed, George didn't plow into anyone as he danced. He and Artemis moved in a single, fluid motion. _A perfect match._ He thought. But this was before he glanced at Draco, who was dancing with Pansy Parkinson across the room. His jaw was set as he saw Artemis and George dancing only a few feet away from him. Harry winced, then turned back to Cho, who was smiling gently. _She's got a beautiful smile._ His mind prompted. 

"You've got a beautiful smile, Cho."Harry blurted out, surprising himself. Cho too, was surprised, but that simply made her smile broader. 

"Thank you, Harry. Its so nice of you." She said softly. Harry only grinned and gripped her hands tighter.

Off to the side, Ron passed Hermione a glass of punch, but nearly dropped his as a slow song began to play. It wasn't the song that shocked him. It was the sight before him. It wasn't George and Artemis. He had figured that Harry would get them together one way or another. Harry just couldn't take guilt. Nor was it Cho and Harry. Again, he figured that Harry would get himself a dance with her. No. It was, 

"Good gory hell!" Ron glanced at Fred, who almost yelled the phrase. Alicia smacked him, whispering for him to be quiet. "Well I'm _sorry_, Spinnet, but this is important! The gory prat! What the heck is he doing?" Fred muttered, his mouth hanging open. 

"What are you boys so upset about?" Hermione demanded, glancing between the two boys. Both Weasleys turned to stare at her. "I figured that he rather liked her. Why is that such a bad thing?" She asked. Ron and Fred both answered immediately, 

"Because he's our BROTHER and she's our TEACHER." They said pointedly.

It was true. Bill Weasley had coaxed Rhiannon Flutterae out from behind the table, his hand holding hers gently, too gently for his brothers' taste. Even George, dancing with Artemis on the dance floor, had to drop his mouth as Bill lead Rhiannon to the center of the dance floor and placed his hand on her hip as she gently grasped his hand. Her cheeks were red, but her smile was radiant as she gazed into Bill's eyes and he did the same. 

"I don't believe this." Fred moaned.

__

If you want to,

I can save you.  
I can take you away from here.

So lonely inside, so busy out there.

And all you wanted was somebody who cares.

"What a bloody sappy song." Fred muttered. 

"You said it." Ron retorted. 

"Oh, you're just saying that because of Bill and Professor Flutterae." Hermione scolded. 

"DUH!" Ron said pointedly. 

"Well you don't need to be so snippy about it." Hermione muttered.

__

I'm sinking slowly,

So hurry hold me.

Your hand is all I have to keep me hanging on.

Please can you tell me, 

So I can finally see,

Where you'll go when you're gone.

If you want to,

I can save you.  
I can take you away from here.

So lonely inside, so busy out there.

And all you wanted was somebody who cares.

All you wanted was somebody who cares.

If you need me you know I'll be there.

If you want to,

I can save you.  
I can take you away from here.

So lonely inside, so busy out there.

And all you wanted was somebody who cares.

Please can you tell me,

So I can finally see,

Where you'll go when you're gone.

"Well finally that song is over. Glory be." Ron said thankfully. 

"Oh, shut up and leave them alone." Hermione scolded. 

"Well Spinnet, how 'bout it?" Fred asked, turning to Alicia. She sniffed and turned away. 

"What's THIS?" Fred asked. 

"I'm not gonna dance with you till you apologize about that stuff you said about your brother." She said. 

"Oh, c'mon Spinnet! It, I, well, I can't!" He spluttered. 

"They deserve some happiness and you were just being nasty." She said pointedly. 

"Yeah!" Hermione added.

"What IS it with you girls and _romance_?" Ron asked disgustedly. Hermione shot him a nasty look as Fred threw his hands in the air. 

"Fine, fine. I'm a nasty little bugger who don't know no better. Satisfied?" He asked Alicia.

"Not till you apologize." She said, firmly. 

"Fine. I apologize. I'll get on my knees if you want." Fred asked, a glint in his eyes. Alicia smiled. 

"That might not be a bad idea." She said. Fred sighed and shook his head. 

"What I do for my public." He muttered as he got down on his knees. "I'm so sorry that I've intruded upon your OBVIOUS love of love between my brother and my professor. I apologize for my complete disgust with the situation. I could not help myself." He said eloquently. 

"Fine. I forgive you." Alicia said. Fred grinned and bent further, pretending to kiss her feet. Alicia drew back her feet with a squeal. 

"Oh FRED! Don't be so gross!" She yelled. 

"C'mon, Spinnet. Let's have a whirl." Fred said, jumping to his feet and dragging her onto the floor.

Harry smiled as he watched Bill gently lift Rhiannon's hand and lead her back to the table, never taking his eyes off her. "They make a cute couple don't they? He's a Weasley, right?" Cho asked. 

"Yeah. How did you come to THAT conclusion?" Harry joked. Cho laughed quietly. 

"Hmm, the red hair?" She asked, winking. 

"Possibly." Harry laughed. 

"Well I'm gonna use my famous powers of seeing into the future, which I learned from the marvelous Professor Trelawney. Hmmmmm, hmmm." Cho said, mocking the Professor when she hummed under her breath. Harry grinned broadly. Finally Cho opened her eyes and said, "I predict that there will be a wedding under the Hogwarts roof at the end of this year." She said. Harry laughed and shook his head. 

"That would certainly be a cross for Ron to bear." He laughed.

"I just wanna get something to drink, okay, Artemis?" George said as they stepped off the dance floor. 

"Sure. That's fine." She answered with a smile. George grinned back and stepped away from her. Artemis chuckled and shook her head. 

__

Bless Harry Potter. He's so sweet to let me go to George. He hasn't looked this happy in days. _I must admit, **I** haven't felt this happy in days._ She thought with a smile. 

"Having fun?" Artemis started as Draco Malfoy came up behind her. 

"Malfoy, you're going to give me a heart-attack one of these days with all the sneaking around you do." Artemis muttered. 

"Sorry. Just wanted to know if you wanted to dance." Draco asked easily. 

"Well, I'm dancing with George." Artemis started uncomfortably. 

"Looks to me like he's getting something to drink. C'mon, it'll just be one dance." He coaxed, extending his white hand towards her. 

"Well, just one though, Malfoy. I'll curse you into next week, otherwise." She threatened as she placed her hand in his. For the first time in her life, Artemis saw Draco grin happily. 

"I might object to that." He commented as he drew her onto the dance floor.

Beside George, Lee Jordan coughed loudly. 

"What? Lee, are you eating those dinner mints and peanuts at the same time again?" George asked reprimandingly. Lee shook his head and swallowed. 

"Your girlfriend just got swept out right from under your nose!" He spluttered. George frowned. 

"What?" Lee ignored his question and kept his eyes fixed on the dance floor. 

"Man, Malfoy moves fast." He murmured. 

"WHAT?" George asked, whirling around to look on the dance floor. "Oh." He whispered as he saw Draco and Artemis dancing together. 

"Ah, its okay, George. She'll probably come back." Lee said, putting an arm around George as he noticed his vibrant color draining away. 

"Yeah. I'm sure. But if he doesn't let her, he'll be puking slugs all evening. And _my_ wand isn't busted." George muttered. 

Harry stared in surprise at Artemis and Draco as they danced together. He had thought that if he ever saw them dance together, they would look mismatched, unusual. But to his surprise, they looked everything but. As Draco twirled Artemis, sending her midnight robes flying against his black ones, they seemed to mingle perfectly. The one thought that rang in his mind that they reminded him of did not seem unusual. Had he thought about it before, he would have scoffed at himself. _They look like the moon against the sky. Artemis is the moon and Draco the blackest night sky ever. But though one is dark, the other light, they coincide together, flowing together, an unusual pair._ But they did look the part. 

But what confused Harry, was the strange way Draco looked. His robes hadn't changed, nor had his strong step faltered, but his face had changed. Instead of the constant sneer that occupied it, his face had softened, his eyes never leaving Artemis' face. And Artemis did not seem frightened or wary of the transition from a Gryffindor to a Slytherin. She seemed almost at home there in Draco's arms. Yet, she had seemed the same way when she danced with George.

__

Harry shook his head in surprise, at the sheer irony of it. George and Fred had thought when Artemis had come, that she would go to Slytherin. Obviously, Draco saw something in her that he admired, for he had never truly treated her ill, but had always treated her with respect. And he had given her that necklace completely unprompted. He glanced at George, who stood with Lee Jordan on the side of the dance floor, glaring hard at Draco._ You better get outta there Artemis, unless you wanna find Draco's face smashed in._ Harry thought silently. But Artemis did not pull away. But when the song ended, Draco stopped and spoke to her. Artemis glanced back at George and responded, looking slightly annoyed. Draco spoke something quickly and she shrugged and slipped her hands in his, dancing to the beat that resounded through the hall. 

__

A moment later, George was striding across the dance floor, his fists clenched. Draco raised an eyebrow as George stormed up to them. 

"Have a problem, Weasley?" He drawled. 

"Yeah. You're cutting in on my dance time, Malfoy." George answered angrily. 

"She consented to dance with me. It's not MY fault." He said cooly. 

"Oh right. I'm sure. You'd like to _think_ that wouldn't you?" George snapped. Draco shrugged. 

"Just because she likes me better," He said nonchalantly. George attempted to fly at Draco, but stopped as Artemis' hand flew between them. 

"George, stop! I did say I'd dance with him. It's okay. I'll come back afterwards." She said evenly. 

"Sure you will. Sure. And then Dracie will ask for ANOTHER dance." He hissed. At that, Draco's cool exterior disappeared and he glared at George. 

"NO one calls me Dracie." He hissed. George stared at him grimly. 

"Poor, DRACIE." Artemis flung her other hand in front of Draco as he leapt towards George. 

"Cut it out! You're both acting so stupid!" She yelled. Both of them turned to stare at her. She seemed slightly unnerved by this action as she continued quietly. "I don't want you guys fighting over me." Draco scoffed and put a hand under her chin. 

"Too late." He said, glancing at George before withdrawing his hand from her.

"She's yours for now, Weasley, but I'll come back for her again before the night is out. Watch me." He said, smiling coolly as he walked off. Artemis watched him, watched as he rolled his eyes as Pansy Parkinson shrieked for him at the top of her lungs. 

__

Things settled down slightly after that. Draco contented himself to stay with Pansy, for he knew that if he didn't, her threat of, 'screaming his name till he came', would ultimately come true.Hermione and Ron did not dance with anyone but each other, though Ron did allow Hermione to dance with Harry once. After a while, Harry had walked up to George and Artemis, who were laughing over a private joke as they danced. 

"Hey George, I kinda stole your date." He said, blushing. George turned to them and laughed. Cho chuckled, then whispered in George's ear. George listened intently, then grinned and pecked Cho on the cheek. 

"How 'bout we switch Potter?" Harry lit up immediately. 

"Really? I mean, I loved dancing with you, Artemis," Artemis waved her hand at him. 

"Sure, sure you did. You don't, APPRECIATE me." She said with a smile, raising her eyebrows. Harry laughed at that and Cho extended her hand to George, who took it and shook it heartily. 

"Thanks for the dances, Cho. Was great." He said enthusiastically. 

"Same here. Thank you, George." Cho answered sweetly as Harry took her arm and they walked off.

"They look sweet together. Harry looks as though he's got a MAJOR crush on her." Artemis said. 

"Oh he does! He has for a LONG time. But at the last Yule Ball, she went with Cedric Diggory. It's probably just a little crush, one that he'll get over, but he can have his moment." George said quietly. Artemis nodded knowingly, understanding his hesitation. 

"I know somebody else who's got a major crush on someone." George said cheerily. Artemis turned towards him and grinned. 

"Really? Who?" She asked. George grinned and poked himself in the chest. 

"Me! I've got a crush on you!" He said. Artemis looked startled for a moment, before she laughed loudly and poked him in the chest. 

"You're so _forward_." She laughed.

"I thought you _liked_ forward men." George said, raising his eyebrows. Artemis settled her head on her hand. 

"Well that's true. But not TOO forward, George Weasley." George's face fell. 

"You don't like my kind of forwardness?" He asked. 

"On the contrary," George's face perked up as Artemis spoke quietly. "I love your kind of forwardness." She said with a smile. 

"Even more than Draco's?" He asked, sobering slightly. Artemis blushed faintly and glanced away. 

"I don't like Draco that much George. He just, he just hangs around. That's all." She explained. 

"Yeah, I know. But, are you falling for him?" George asked tentatively. 

Artemis paused, staring hard at the floor before raising her head and looking into his eyes. "I don't know. I don't know what's happening." George nodded knowingly. 

"It's okay. I just wanted to know because you know, it's mine and Fred's last year and, well, I just wanted to know. But I won't push you or anything." He said firmly. Artemis smiled and placed her hand in his. 

"Thanks for that George. It really means alot." She answered. George heaved a great sigh. 

"And you can dance with Draco again if you want to." He said dejectedly. Artemis laughed hard. 

"Well thank you. That's nice of you!" George grinned broadly. 

"But of course, if he starts pretending like you're his girlfriend, then I'll have to put the Leg-locker curse on him and I'll laugh while he falls on his fat face." He said. Artemis laughed and slapped him on the hand. 

"You wouldn't dare!" She said. 

"Watch me!" George laughed as he twirled her repeatedly, till she became dizzy. 

Draco did come back forone more dance, but that was all that he insisted upon. 

"I'm a man of my word, Artemis. Thanks for the dances." He said firmly, walking away, though Artemis could plainly see the wistfulness in his eyes.

"Thanks, Draco." Draco turned as she spoke. She smiled shyly. "It was great." A light lit up Draco's eyes as he bowed slightly and walked off. Artemis sighed and smiled as she walked up to the table that the cd-player rested on. 

"Well Professor, when's the last song?" She asked with a smile. Rhiannon smiled and looked up. 

"Pretty soon actually. I'm trying to find one." She said with a smile. 

"Hey, ah, Artemis isn't it?" Bill Weasley asked. Artemis nodded and Bill smiled as he jerked his thumb at Rhiannon. "Help me get her out on the dance floor for the last dance, woncha?" He asked. Artemis grinned as Rhiannon rolled her eyes. 

"I danced with you before. Why press your luck?" Rhiannon asked sharply. 

"It's a compliment Professor. You should take advantage of it. Someone else can handle the cd-player. Go on and have some fun!" Artemis said enthusiastically. Rhiannon glanced doubtfully at Artemis, then at the hopeful Bill Weasley and sighed resolutely. 

"Hold on and lemme find a song." She said resolutely. Artemis grinned as Bill's face lit up and he stuck his thumb up in her direction. 

"Set the dance floor on fire, Professor!" Artemis said enthusiastically, causing Rhiannon to look up at her in surprise. 

Artemis grinned winningly and walked off, looking for George. "Hey Harry! Professor's playing the last song! Better get out there!" Harry nodded and yelled the word to Ron and Hermione. When Fred got word of it, he jumped in the air with a shout of delight. 

"Yeah! One more dance! C'mon, Spinnet! Lets show 'em how it's done!" He said enthusiastically. Alicia sighed and rolled her eyes. 

"So we're gonna show 'em how to step on their partner's toes?" She asked sarcastically. Fred drew back in mock hurt. 

"Oh Alicia!" He broke out. Alicia rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm and drew him out onto the floor. Fred grinned and winked at Artemis with a satisfied air.

"So Weasley, shall we?" Artemis asked, walking up to George, who was talking to Lee Jordan and Angelina Johnson. 

"Sure! Let's go." George said enthusiastically as they stepped on the dance floor. His enthusiasm vanished though, as he saw Bill draw Rhiannon out from behind the cd table as the music began to play. He glanced at Artemis, he was clearly dismayed at finding a look of triumph resting there.

"Artemis! You DIDN'T?!" He moaned. Artemis nodded firmly. 

"Yes, I did. Its not so bad if they like each other is it?" She asked. 

"Yes! Its just weird. They've known each other since they went to Hogwarts. She's an old friend of the family!" George said. 

"So what? If they get married, then she'll be a PART of the family! That's not so bad is it? And plus," She said with a wink. "Then if they get married, that means you'll be an uncle and you'll have nieces and nephews to spoil and teach how to be bad and tricky." George immediately brightened and an evil gleam settled in his eyes. 

"Hey, Artemis, wanna help me hook Bill up with Rhia?" He asked. Artemis didn't answer him, but simply laughed as the music began to play around them.

__

Till my body is dust,

Till my soul is no more,

I will love you,

Love you.

Till the sun starts to cry,

And the moon turns to rust,

I will love you,

Love you. 

But I need to know,

Will you stay for all time?

Forever and a day.

Then I'll give my heart,

Till the end of all time.

Forever and a day.

And I need to know,

That you'll stay for all time.

Forever and a day.

Then I'll give my heart,

Till the end of all time.

Forever and a day.

Till the storms fill my eyes,

And we touch the last time,

I will love you,

Love you. 

I will love you,

Love you.

As Harry slow danced with Cho, he glanced off to the side of the dance floor. To his surprise, Draco was not dancing with Pansy Parkinson. Instead, the Slytherin girl was standing off to the side with some of her friends, eyeing Draco from time to time, then bursting into tears. Her friends cooed over her as she continued to cry, but Draco seemed to take no notice of this. In fact, he didn't seem to take notice of anything around him. He simply stood there alone, watching Artemis dance. He wasn't glaring at George, nor was there any sign of hate in his face. He was simply standing, void of emotion, his cool gray eyes fixed on one girl in the entire room. 

Harry sighed and turned away, instead noticing with a smile that Professor Flutterae and Bill Weasley were dancing once more. They were talking quietly as they danced, a small smile on Rhiannon's face. Their fingers were intertwined together, Bill's hand resting gently on her hip, his eyes alight as he spoke to her. Then Harry glanced at the other Weasleys in the room.

Ginny and Neville were dancing _very_ slowly, but Ginny didn't seem to mind. Even Neville seemed to have gained some courage and was talking firmly to the Weasley girl, who smiled at him encouragingly. For once, Fred was not stepping on Alicia's toes, but was simply dancing, his hand on her hip, one hand in hers. They were quiet too, an amazing feat for Fred. George and Artemis danced the same way, Artemis' hand resting comfortably on George's arm. Like Bill, George was speaking quietly to her and she was smiling as she responded. Also like his brother, George's face was illuminated and happy. He looked, Harry noticed, better than he had seen him in days. As the song ended, Draco abruptly turned on his heel and walked from the Dining Hall, not looking back once.

Fred grinned and mock bowed to Alicia, Ron blushed and kissed Hermione's hand, who protested slightly, but not very effectively as she was too pleased to make it more serious. George bowed to Artemis, who grinned as he escorted her off the dance floor. Rhiannon and Bill stood at the center of the crowds of boys and girls, simply gazing at each other. 

Harry's breath caught in his throat as he thought he saw Bill leaning in towards Rhiannon. But something stopped his teacher and she pulled back, instead rushing towards the table on which the cd-player was resting, her face a brilliant shade of red. Bill sighed and glanced at Harry, putting up his fingers indicating how close he had been to kissing her. Harry nodded sympathetically and turned to Cho. 

"Thanks for the wonderful dance, Harry. I had a great time." She said shyly. 

"So did I, Cho. It was great. Certainly better than last year." They both chuckled as they walked off. Cho smiled and stopped, stepping in front of him. 

"Well I've gotta go. Thanks again. I'll see you later, okay?" She asked tentatively. 

"Of course! I'd love that." Harry said quickly, hoping he didn't sound too enthusiastic. Cho smiled and nodded. 

"Well, alright then. Good-bye, Harry." She said, slipping away from him. Harry sighed with a satisfied air and caught up with Ron as he walked off to the side. 

"So, how was your night?" Harry asked him. Ron turned to him with a flushed face. 

"The best one EVER!" He said enthusiastically. "They better have another one!" Ron said enthusiastically. Harry chuckled at his friend. As he walked up towards the twins and Artemis, Artemis turned towards Harry with a smile. 

"Oh Harry! Thanks so much for the evening." She said, walking quickly over to him. 

"Yeah, it was my pleasure. We kinda split up, but that's okay. I enjoyed the dances we had and I enjoyed playing, 'Guess Who Loves Artemis.'" Harry laughed. 

Artemis shook her head and chuckled. Then she sobered and leaned in towards him and kissed him gently on the cheek. 

"Thanks so much, Harry. I'll see you later, okay?" She asked quietly, a small smile lighting up her face. Harry smiled and nodded. She returned the smile, then walked up to George, who extended his arm. 

"C'mon gentlemen! The night ain't over. If your girls' a Gryffindor, we're gonna escort 'em back to their rooms." George said firmly. Fred grinned and grabbed Alicia's arm and Hermione gently took Ron's arm. 

"C'mon Harry! She was yours first! We'll share!" George said cheerily as Artemis extended her other arm. Harry laughed and took it as they walked out. Fred glanced back out at the stereo booth, where Bill was leaning over it, speaking to Rhiannon. A sour look came over his face and he shook his head as they walked out, but not before Harry noticed the disapproving look on Snape's face as he looked at Rhiannon and Bill. The journey back was uneventful, and the girls laughed and thanked the boys for the fabulous evening as they slipped into the Girl's Room. 

"And they'll be up for at least a few more hours blathering about the whole bloody evening." Fred said good-naturedly. 

"So how was your girlfriend, Ronnie?" George asked, ruffling Ron's hair. To Harry's surprise, Ron didn't deny it as he usually did. Simply shrugged and smiled. 

"She was bloody great." Fred and George nodded approvingly and yawned at the same time.

"I myself can't wait to go to bed. What about you, Freds?" George asked sleepily. His twin nodded drowsily. 

"Night, Ronnie, Harry. Sweet dreams." He said. Then George and Fred leaned on each other sleepily as they walked up the stairs to their room. Ron chuckled. 

"Mum says they used to do that when they were really little. They still do it, but only when they're completely exhausted and don't even know that they're doing it. An' they must be REALLY tired because they forgot to show us their owl." Ron said with a sleepy smile. 

"So how was your night with Hermione?" Harry asked curiously. Ron smiled as he plopped his bed and slipped off his shoes. 

"She's the greatest girl I've ever met, Harry. Except when she's lecturing of course." He said, a dreamy look in his eyes. That startled Harry. 

"Are you guys gonna start dating?" He asked sharply. Ron looked up at him, an unusual light in his eyes. 

"Dunno. Maybe. She said she'd think about it." He said. 

"You asked her to be your GIRLFRIEND?" Harry asked in surprise. Ron shrugged and nodded. 

"Yeah, well. I'd say its about time, wouldn't you?" He asked. Harry drew his breath in sharply, but nodded quietly. "I knew you'd understand, Harry." 

But Harry didn't really understand. What he _did_ understand was that his friend was going to a place he couldn't go, taking a step he hadn't gotten to yet, and he wasn't sure how to react. 

"Looks like George's got it bad for Artemis. The same goes for Rhia and Bill. Good grief, can't believe BILL is chasing after Rhia. At his age? Geez." Ron muttered as he slipped under his covers after throwing his robes on the floor. 

"Yeah, I know." Harry murmured without thinking. 

"Night, Harry." Ron murmured before he closed his eyes. 

"Night, Ron." Harry said quietly. 

Soon the silent room was filled with Ron's quiet snores. Harry barely heard them. He simply turned off the light and sat down on his bed, drawing his wand out. "_Lumos_." He whispered. Light quickly exuded from the wand. Harry placed it on his bed then lifted up the pictures and looked at them over and over again before the night was out. 

************************************************************************

**__**

Author's Note: Well! Phew! That's over! Quite an interesting affair don't you think? Altogether an interesting evening. And a few things were resolved between Artemis, Draco and George...........or were they? :-) You'll have to figure that out for yourselves. I'm not dropping any hints. :-) Like I said at the beginning, this is a **very** light chapter, but also has some foreshadowing and actually a major **clue** was dropped in. Can you guys find it? ;-) Thanks for all your reviews! You're all so fantastic and I couldn't be more blessed with such awesome people!

****

Kora: Thanks for reviewing! I'm completely with you on Richard Harris. When I think of him, I rarely think of Dumbledore first, second, but not first. First, I think of King Arthur. *sob* Okay, I gotta stop, or I'm gonna start crying again. :-) I agree that lighter chapters give a little breathing time between the bad stuff that's happening. Frankly, I was relieved by just **writing** it! :-) Gave me room to breathe! Thanks for assuring me about my Newsies fics. They're good, but still, it's just kinda funny reading them now. When I read them now, I wanna take my cut 'n paste icon to it and fix it all and make it clearer. Maybe someday. :-) Thanks for reviewing, buddy!

****

Balizabeth: Can't remember if I told you thank you in my last chapter, so I will again. Can't remember! Mind like a sieve I've got. :-) Thank you so much for reading my humble little story! I'm so pleased to be your muse! That's so cool and so sweet of you! I absolutely LOVE your stories, so you must continue them soon! No pressure though. ;-) Thanks for reading! I really enjoy reading your input!

****

Hollie: Ahhh! Hello, Hollie! I hope you liked this chapter! Heh-heh, you're so clever! You were like, 'they should switch and Harry should go with Cho, and Artemis with George,'. My, aren't you clever? :-) But like I said, are things really resolved? Hmmmm. :-) Well, at least I somewhat cleared them up and Artemis got to be with George, at least for a little while. I thought that the Witches' Heartthrobs thing would be funny to do, just interesting, seeing as Charlie's a Weasley. :-) I really don't have a picture of Charlie in my mind either. I mean, I have a picture of Bill, but that's because I'm writing about him. But don't worry, I'll get a picture of him in my mind. Most likely he'll be in the second story, so it'll be well and good. :-) I'm glad you like seeing your name in the 'Thank You's'. I love *writing* you thank you's. :-) I just feel like I haven't done my duty if I don't address my wonderful peoples' comments. :-) **Yup, the second book (sheesh, FANFIC. Getting mixed up here. *grin*) is well in production. I have 6 chapters finished and 79 pages written. WHOOHOO!! Actually, there are SEVERAL chapters left. Not going to say exactly. :-) But there are chapters left. And don't worry. I guarrantee, that this story will NOT end on a cliffhangar. This story is written in the style of J.K. Rowling and therefore will end as she ends the books. :-) Of course, there will be a bit of wondering in what will happen, but hey, it's not a cliffhangar!! It has an ending!! :-) I actually have completely written and rewritten this story till I thought it suitable to post. So it is all done, giving me time and energy to write the second one. Cool huh? :-)** Heh-heh, no you're not nosy. I'm not exactly sure of the Mudblood thing either. But oh well! It's all good. She's half-blood, anyway. :-) Thanks so much for readin' and reviewin'!!

****

Torrential Zephyr: Ahhh, my talented buddy with the kick-butt, awesome, name. :-) I'm sorry, I just love your author name! Where did you come up with it? It's so cool. :-) I'm completely with you on Richard Harris. I thought of him as immortal too. You know, like King Arthur forever! But then all of a sudden, out of the blue, 1) he's got Hodgkins, 2) he's recovered, 3) he died. *sniffle* It was just all very sudden and surprising. I read it and I was just like, 'What? Richard Harris? Dead? Yeah right!' And what was equally ironic is that that very day, around the time when he died actually, I was watching "Camelot", watching a specific part in which he always makes me cry. It was really ironic and really sad. But at least he'll be immortal in our hearts, that's one way to think of it. Because in my mind, whenever I think of King Arthur, or read any books about him, I'll always picture Richard Harris. But anyway, on with my thank you! That's okay that you didn't get here right away! I've been getting pretty bad myself, but I try! I don't have much time to get online as of late, so I've been checking for reviews, posting and attempting to *write* reviews in a fifteen minute period. :-) I'm gonna check out your website soon! That's another thing on my priority list! That's so cool! :-) I'd love to do that if I had the time. I'm glad you liked the pictures of Lily, James, Sirius and Harry. I enjoyed writing about them and thought it would be something to take Harry's mind off of Sirius' letter. (right again buddy! *wink*) And also it would give the readers an inside look into the Potters and how much they loved their son, as well as a vision of Sirius before he was Sirius Black, accused murderer and madman. You're probably right about the Mudblood vs. half-blood thing. I'm not altogether sure, since I'm actually relatively new to the HP world. My sister is the one who memorizes everything about them, which is really fortunate for me, I tell you! She's my little proof-reader and tells me if this is inaccurate, or that's wrong, or what-not. Really helpful! :-) Oh thank you! Thanks for permission to use Letifer. I agree with you! A great addition to the Malfoy names! Really wicked! Thank you so much for allowing me to use him! Like I said, I'm not exactly sure how or when he'll figure into the story, but since I'm writing the second one now, I figured I better ask. :-) Thanks so much!!

****

Another thing I forgot to mention, you guys remember in the previous chapter, when Ron and Harry received two stones called 'draconite'? Well, here's an interesting tidbit! Draconite was *actually* a real thing, well, real in the fantasy world, anyway. ;-) It possessed special powers, was believed to bring good luck and fortune, as well as other powers. One catch though: draconite was inside a dragon's *head*. In order to get it, a hunter had to wait until a dragon was asleep, in hibernation, then cut open it's head and steal it. Yeah. I thought that having it be 'cooled dragon fire', was much more acceptable, much less brutal. For one thing, I couldn't really picture Charlie Weasley slicing open his own dragons' heads, just so he could get a Christmas present for Ron and Harry. :-) Ew. So I *improved* it. :-) Just a little fun fact. :-) Thanks for reading you guys! You've no idea how wicked it is to read your reviews and comments. Rock on!

T.H.


	13. Aftereffects

****

CHAPTER 13.

AFTEREFFECTS

Things slowed down quite a bit at Hogwarts, but the effects of the Yule Ball did not wear off in the least. For instance, Hermione and Ron had become closer. Harry couldn't help but notice that though they still fought, they began to spend more and more time together. He felt left out, like they'd gone to a place that he could not. He had by now decided that he didn't like the feeling very much at all. 

Fred and George now spent more and more time with Artemis and with each other, organizing papers and figuring out more ideas for their joke shop. They showed their owl to Harry and Ron the very next day after the Yule Ball, dragging the boys to their room so they could observe her. They stood off to the side proudly as Ron and Harry looked admiringly upon the female owl that ruffled it's feathers and stared at them with intelligent yellow eyes. It was a tawny owl, its long feathers a mixture of brown and gold. 

"Her name's Athena. Cool, huh?" Fred said, as he petted the owl and fed it a treat. Ron leaned close to Harry and whispered, 

"All I can say is that Artemis must have LOADS of money." Harry had to agree with him, but it was obvious that Fred and George could have cared less how much money the owl was worth. They loved her, and loved the purpose she would serve for them.

Classes resumed as well and the ever imposing test week, though weeks away, was being prepared and studied for. Hermione did so fervently every night, but Harry and Ron did not see the point to start studying _yet_, as they would surely forget it before test week. 

Harry was relieved that Rhiannon had not succumbed to the weakness that plagued her at times. She insisted on teaching D.A.D.A., despite the fact that Professor Snape _fervently_ argued that she should rest herself for a time. But Rhiannon refused, much to her class' relief. Since the night of that horrible storm, that awful conjuring of evil, the D.A.D.A. classes had taken a violent change from the classes they had had before. 

Before the storm, Rhiannon had taught things that were less dangerous, not as threatening, but now she had taken it in a completely different direction. She taught about the Dementors, of the Death Eaters and Voldemort's rise to power. She taught about how to conjure a Patronus, a protection conjured by the wizard to protect himself from the Dementors' powers. Harry smiled as Rhiannon taught them how to conjure it, and even asked a few willing people to come up and attempt one. They failed of course, but she thanked them anyway, explaining that it was terribly advanced magic, and that very few of even the greatest wizards could produce a full-bodied Patronus. At that, Harry smiled wistfully, remembering his own Patronus, the brilliant pearl-white stag, Prongs.

She also instructed them on curses, including the Unforgivable Curses. That day was certainly an interesting one for the class. When Rhiannon walked into the room, she carried an enormous box. She said nothing as she sat the box on the floor by her desk, then began to remove the jars that rested in it. Inside each jar, was a large red striped spider. Beside Harry, Ron shivered violently as he eyed the creatures. 

"Right then. Today, we're learning the Unforgivable Curses." Rhiannon said, getting a hold of her wand. Seamus Finnigan raised his hand hesitantly.

"Professor, not meanin' to be rude, but we're _learning_ them? I mean, so that we can _perform_ them?" To everyone's astonishment, Rhiannon nodded gravely.

"I have received permission from Professor Dumbledore to teach this lesson, under the strict promise that I would make all of you swear that you will never use any of these curses in jest or for any plan that you might cook up in your heads. These are not to be used lightly! Azkaban is not a place that I want to see any of my students in. Do I have your word?" Rhiannon asked solemnly, staring at each person in the room. Every head nodded dumbly. "Very good. Now, we shall begin with the Imperius Curse, then work our way down."

And so they did. Rhiannon called first, to everyone's surprise, Neville to attempt his curse first on the spider in the jar before him. "Now Neville, you must think of something that you want the spider to do. Class, visualization is the key to performing the Imperius Curse. It is all about using your head and visualizing what you wish to perform. Understand?" The class nodded. "Right then. Neville, visualize it in your head. Think very hard. Visualize what it is you want the spider to perform and what it would look like doing it. Have you got it?" Neville looked up at her nervously.

"I think so."

"What will you do?"

"I, I'm going to make it spin around in circles."

"Very good! Alright! Have a go, Neville! Remember, visualization and repetition is the key. Once you have the thought, repeat it in your head. _Force_ the spider to be at your mercy! _You_ are in charge! He must obey _you_. Go."

Neville licked his lips, gripped his wand tightly, squeezed his eyes shut, then said quietly, "_Imperio_!" 

Everyone's eyes were fixed upon the spider in the jar. It didn't do anything. Rhiannon looked as though she was about to say something, when the spider twitched. Then slowly, but surely, the creature's legs began to move. It began to turn in a circle, looking as though it was lost and was searching for a way out of the jar. Then it began to spin, faster and faster till the spider was only a black blur whirling around the jar. Everyone stared in fascination as the spider whirled, then lifted all its legs but one in the air and spun on one leg. Then it slowly twirled and stopped altogether, the spider falling in a crumpled, weak heap. Neville stared at the spider in amazement, before looking up at Rhiannon. 

Rhiannon did nothing. Harry could not read her expression. Everyone eyed her carefully as she continued to stare at the imprisoned spider as it slowly got to it's feet and began pacing around the jar as it had done before. Her eye twitched. Then she slowly placed her hand on Neville's shoulder. 

"Well done, Neville. Sit down, please." Neville looked confused at Rhiannon's expression, but did so, and was promptly congratulated by his classmates. 

"The Cruciatus Curse was used excessively by Branwyn the Enchantress to ensnare her enemies, so that she could take them to her home and do with them what she wanted. When they were in her home she would then use the Imperius Curse so that she could toy with them, then she would perform the Avada Kedavra Curse on them when she tired of them," Rhiannon said suddenly, putting a stop to the congratulations that were being whispered to Neville and causing all eyes to look up to her. "She was the witch who used these three curses the most times in her eighty-eight years on this earth. Her followers used it as much as she, and it was their love of torturing and killing Muggles that caused these three curses to be named 'Unforgivable'. But there was not much to be done. The Ministry of Magic really had no way of threatening these people. That was why Azkaban was built. It was also built because our old prison, Hazlad, was very weak and prisoners were escaping constantly. Therefore, Azkaban was created, Dementors were positioned at its gates, and a life-sentence was imposed upon whomever used these curses. It was, and still is a very effective tool." Rhiannon paused, then got to her feet and began to eye the children around the room.

"Malfoy, come up here." Malfoy looked surprised, but smug as he walked up to Rhiannon's desk. Rhiannon eyed him critically then motioned him up to her desk.

"The Cruciatus Curse is a deadly curse, simply because you can torture a person to death with it. One does not necessarily need the Avada Kedavra curse to kill someone. It is a quick and efficient way to kill, but not always necessary. Now, just as with the Imperius Curse, the key to performing a successful Cruciatus Curse is visualization. Constant visualization and repetition. Now, understand that I don't expect any of you to be able to perform these spells perfectly the first time. Practice is needed to perform these curses well. But I do not expect you to practice them on each other." There was complete silence, save for an ill-timed giggle.

"Now, Malfoy, with this curse, you need to visualize the pain that you wish to put the spider in. How much you want it to suffer, how much it _needs_ to suffer. It _needs_ it! You want to give it and it must have it! Visualization! Now, try." Rhiannon said, stepping slowly away. 

Draco glanced back at her, then breathed deeply and stared hard at the spider. His eyes turned to slits and he began to breathe deeply and hard. Then he raised his wand and yelled, "_Crucio!_" The spider did nothing. The Gryffindors began to snigger, but Harry did not. He was watching the spider. It sat still and Draco's hands dropped to his sides. He stared at it a moment, then slowly began to raise his wand again. "_Crucio_!" He yelled, anger echoing in his voice.

The spider's leg began to twitch, then vibrate madly. The sniggering ceased immediately and all eyes were on the spider. Two legs began to vibrate, then another, then another, till the spider fell on it's back, vibrating crazily. It was not as violent as Mad-Eye Moody's demonstration last year, but it was effective, mainly because it was not a teacher doing it: it was a student. Draco continued to calmly watch the spider as it jolted and rolled under his gaze. Rhiannon quickly stepped forward as she saw Neville become very green and said, _"Desisto_!"

Immediately, the spider rolled over and was very still. Lavender Brown gasped audibly as the spider lay on the jar bottom, it's legs sticking out in grotesque positions. A hush had fallen over the class as they all watched for some sign of life from the creature. Even Ron's mouth was slightly open as he waited for it to move. Slowly, the spider's leg twitched, then it got to it's feet and moved shakily around the jar. It seemed to Harry that even Rhiannon breathed a sigh of relief as Draco trooped back to his seat, ignoring Pansy Parkinson's praise of him. Rhiannon looked flushed as she waved her wand and the jars of spiders floated to every desk, one to each person. Ron drew back as his jar settled before him.

"Now, we shall practice these two curses. I don't want to see any fooling around either! This is terribly serious business! Do not let your spider escape, and do NOT kill it! Otherwise it will come off your grade." Rhiannon said, stepping from her desk and moving to walk among them.

"Just the _two_?" Malfoy whined. "But you said we'd learn all three!" Rhiannon stared at him coldly.

"I'd say you've had quite enough learning for one day, Malfoy. These two will be sufficient till your sixth year, when you are due to study more about these curses." Rhiannon said cooly, walking away from him. 

The class was a sober one, save for the few slight giggles that were produced from the effects of a working Imperius Curse. Ron's especial favorite was the Cruciatus Curse. "Not that I'd wanna do it on _people_, but I must say I get a certain satisfaction from torturing this little bugger." He said with satisfaction.

"Oh, Ron!" Hermione chided, unable to say anything else.

Rhiannon complimented Harry when he managed to get his spider rolling in pain on the bottom of his jar from the effects of the Cruciatus Curse, but as soon as she passed, he released the creature from his control, feeling rather sick. Malfoy's cackling as his spider writhed wasn't helping either. He hoped that he'd never have to use that spell on a human being, _ever_.

Hagrid still had not returned from the mysterious trip that Professor Dumbledore had sent him on. Hermione had tested her teachers to their wit's end by continually asking them when Care of Magical Creatures lessons would resume, using the excuse that she was worried that it would disrupt her learning process. Finally, Professor McGonagall tersely replied that Hagrid would not be returning for a long time, as Professor Dumbledore wished him to perform more duties than getting magical creatures while he was gone. The others were happy to receive the news, still disgruntled, but happy that they hadn't been the ones that had to ask the teachers. 

"Don't _ever_ make me do that again! I though Professor McGonagall would have my head! Or worse take points from Gryffindor!" Hermione grumbled afterward.

Another thing that changed was that Bill remained in Hogwarts. He was sent a notice that, for reasons Bill refused to explain, apparating had been forbidden. Wizards were to stay where they were, no matter _what_. No exceptions. So Bill remained at Hogwarts, keeping a relatively low profile. A low profile until one day after D.A.D.A. that is.

"I don't care, Freds! I think you're wrong!" 

__

"Come ON, George! Don't be such an idiot! I'M right and you're wrong!"

"Look, the only way to figure out whether puff-toads are actually poisonous or not is to ask Rhia."

"Oh come on! Just accept the truth and move on with your life, you block-head!"

"WHO YOU CALLIN' A BLOCKHEAD?"

"_YOU_, BLOCKHEAD!"

"WHY YOU!"

Before the twins could throw themselves at each other, Artemis quickly thrust herself in the middle as Ron hung his head with disgust.

"Pathetic. Need a _woman_ to break 'em up now." He muttered. Harry chuckled at his friend. 

"Oh, just hush! Professor Flutterae will take care of everyth-," Hermione stopped dead in her tracks as they stepped through the partially open door. 

She, Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Artemis stared in shock at the sight before them. Bill Weasley and Rhiannon Flutterae were in the classroom, _kissing_. Rhiannon's arms were around Bill's shoulders, her hands gently clasping his neck, while Bill's rested on her hips. Both of their eyes were closed, completely oblivious to the world around them. Ron, Fred and George's mouths fell wide open. The two adults did not even notice them standing there, until that is Hermione coughed, her face a brilliant shade of red. Then they suddenly slid apart, their eyes wide, their faces red. They were obviously flustered as they noticed the teenagers standing in the doorway.

"What, are you lot doing in here?" Bill asked shortly, tugging at his robes, trying to straighten them. 

"One might ask, what are YOU doing in HERE?" Fred said, frowning and crossing his arms across his chest. 

"AND kissing our TEACHER." George added. 

"That's none of your bloody business." Bill muttered. 

"Wanna bet?" Fred asked shortly. 

"Look, it doesn't include you, so," Bill started. 

"It is _too_ our bloody business!" Ron interrupted angrily. "Look, we've gotta take classes from Rhia, and if you decide to get in a relationship, think how WEIRD that will be! I'll be totally unpopular, even more so than I already am, there'll be the crude jokes about you two snogging in the classroom, and FRANKLY, IT'S, JUST, WRONG!" Ron yelled angrily. 

Bill stared at him open-mouthed and George whistled approvingly. 

"Gory, Ron. Didn't know you had it in you." He said proudly. 

"Oh, bugger off." Ron muttered, glaring hard at his oldest brother. Rhiannon coughed slightly and stepped forward. 

"Why does it bother you so much, Ron?" She asked. Ron looked away and turned slightly red. 

"It's just wrong, thats all. I've known you forever and you're Bill's _best friend_, and, well, it's just wrong." He muttered. 

"Well, whoever said this was going anywhere?" Rhiannon asked. 

"HEY!" Bill yelled. Rhiannon quickly turned to shush him up. 

"I'm trying to WORK here." She hissed. She smiled sweetly and turned back to Ron, but before she could speak she was interrupted by Fred. 

"Don't even try. It's pointless. You're busted." He said. Rhiannon straightened and glared at the twins. 

"Look, I know what you want." The twins nodded together, an evil gleam in their eyes. 

"How much?" She asked with a sigh.

"A lot of money. We'll decide on HOW much later. For now, we want to talk to you alone. 'Kay?" Fred said, gesturing to a corner of the classroom. Rhiannon nodded and walked off to the side with the twins. Bill jerked his thumb at them and looked at Ron with a quizzical look. 

"What's that all about?" He asked. Ron shrugged and scowled. 

"Traitor." He muttered. Bill rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air. 

"Good Lord, you're such a baby." He grumbled. Finally, the twins came back over, satisfied looks on their faces. 

"Well? What did you work out?" Ron asked. 

"That's for us to know and for you to find out." Fred said with a grin, before whispering in Harry's ear, "Rhia's gonna pay us TONS of money as soon as school is over. Thats all we'll take is money." He said jokingly. Harry smiled and sighed as the Weasley siblings continued to argue, while Artemis stayed to watch a pleased grin on her face. Hermione, on the other hand, seemed torn between amusement and disapproval. Harry stepped out of the room, the echoes of the fighting siblings following him down the hall.

He hadn't walked far when a slight wind flew curled around his neck, sending chills up and down his spine with it's coldness. 

"Who's there?" Harry asked, his voice reverberating off the empty hall. 

No one answered, but the wind rushed by him again, pushing harder against him. He let his body go where the wind directed him. He was pushed down the corridor, then turned into another and yet another till he stood in front of a single statue in the hallway. There were many statues throughout Hogwarts of different great wizards and witches. This one, Harry wasn't sure of. It was a large marble statue of a man, but unlike many of the other statues, this one was not of an _old_ man. In fact, it was of a very young man, a beard barely gracing his face. His hair was fairly long, just barely touching the neck of his wizard robes. In one hand, he steadied a tall gilt mirror, with the other hand, he pointed to the mirror. 

"Neat." Harry said, bending down and looking into the mirror. 

It merely showed his reflection, nothing more, nothing less. Harry nodded slowly, then stood, frowning as he looked at the face once more. There was nothing wrong with the face. The eyes were simply, odd. Harry shook his head and squinted closer. 

"Eyes, eyes, eyes. What is it with eyes?" He muttered, peering close to the wizard's eyes. 

He jumped as he saw pupils suddenly appear in the statue's blank ones. Then he realized that they were merely his own reflected. The wizard's eyes were glass.Harry chuckled nervously at himself, then looked into the eyes again. He stared at his own eyes for a time before shouting, as a burst of light exploded around him. The eyes of the statue seemed to have exploded, bright light shining from the pupils. Harry quickly fell to the ground. Immediately after eye contact was broken, the glowing ceased.

Harry stood carefully, but did not look into the eyes again. Instead, he looked down at the mirror, underneath it at the inscription etched into the stone base.

__

In olden days of yore, 

When Merlin roamed England's shore,

He looked into the heart of man,

And saw what lay within.

  
"The heart of man is cold," he said.

"And filled with harsh demise,

But cursed be the enemies who see it not."

He said as he looked into man's hateful eyes.

So Merlin built a mirror,

Gilt and framed in gold,

But inside the seeing glass,

The visions within whispered stories untold.

The heart was shown to those who looked,

As well as it's desires.

Man could get lost in one such look,

And burn quickly in it's fires.

The good man would see what he wished to see,

The evil man see the evil in his heart.

But both would think the vision was of the other,

Confusing them from the start.

Look into my mirror if you dare,

See what your heart desires,

And of those who wish you ill-care,

Merely look into my eyes.

Harry raised himself slightly to look at the now glassy, empty eyes, which stared into space. Then he looked down at the mirror, then back at the eyes. Then an inscription on the frame of the mirror caughthis eye, but unlike the other poem, which he did not recognize at all, this one he had heard before, in the eye of the storm that Sirius called, the_ **Lucrum Insperatum**_, and his heart filled with dread as he read it aloud, 

__

Thou tell'st me, there is murder in mine eye: 

Tis pretty, sure, and very probable,

That eyes, that are the frail'st and softest things, 

Who shut their coward gates on atomies,

Should be call'd tyrants, butchers, murderers!

Now I do frown on thee with all my heart,

And, if mine eyes can wound, now let them kill thee;

As if Harry wasn't feeling terrible already as he read that passage, his body erupted in a sea of frantic goosebumps as a scream sounded from just down the hall, from the classroom he'd just left. He took one last look at the statue, then took off running down the halls, back to Rhiannon's classroom. As he rounded the corner, he saw Ron kneeling on the ground outside the classroom, frantically shaking something. Hermione grasped Artemis, both of their faces white, both placing their hands on their mouths. Fred was also on the ground, as were Bill and Rhiannon. Beside Rhiannon, the black cat, Malificent paced back and forth, her gleaming green eyes fixed on person lying on the ground. In the center of the young witches and wizards, lay George Weasley, writhing and screaming in pain. 

"What's going on?" Harry asked Hermione breathlessly as he rushed up to them. Hermione turned her white face towards him and shook her head. 

"We were walking out and he got real pale, then he just, _dropped_." She said in a low whisper. 

Harry stared at George as he writhed about, flailing his long limbs wildly, occasionally smacking the bent heads of his brothers and teacher. His eyes were wide open and glassy, his lips cracked as they uttered moans and nonsense words. Rhiannon knelt on the ground beside the boy as his brothers attempted to hold him down. She grabbed a vial from her robes, uncorked it, then waited for a good time to dump it down the boy's throat. 

"Fred, are you alright?" Ron asked between grunts. His brother shrugged, but said nothing. Harry noticed that he was white faced as well, but he had a good reason. Harry turned his eyes away from him and instead focused on the writhing twin. George's face was now screwed up in pain and he strained against his brothers who tried to hold him down. 

"St-stop! Make, stop! Stop! Ced-, M-, make it stop! Freds! Freds!" George's agonized yell became a painful whimper as he cried out for his twin. Fred let go of his brother's arm and bent down weakly in front of his twin so he could see him. 

"I'm right here, George. You just hold on now. Hold on." He whispered. 

"Freds, so dark. So cold, Get out, get me out, Freds. Freds!" George moaned. 

"It's okay, George. I'm here. I'll get you out. Just hold on." Harry watched grimly as George's flailing arms reached out for his brother's form, but never quite reaching it. Finally, Rhiannon took no more chances. When George opened his mouth to yell once more, she thrust the potion in his mouth.

George lay still for only a moment.Then he vomited, again and again. Harry blanched as he heard Rhiannon swear violently under her breath. Bill was not nearly so shy about it. He swore loudly and mopped up the mess with his robes, the potion reeking heavily in the vomit. 

"Just back off for a moment, Ron! I need more room." Rhiannon snapped. Ron quickly stood and stepped off to the side, his face pale and his eyes wide. Hermione quickly walked to him and grasped his hand. Ron did not turn to her to acknowledge her action, but merely squeezed her hand tightly.

"I was afraid this would happen." Rhiannon muttered under her breath as she avoided George's flailing arms. Finally, Bill brought out his wand with a swear word and shouted, 

"_RIDGIDUM FACIO!!_" At first there was no result. George continued to spasm on the floor. Then his arms slowly stilled and lowered to the ground as if they'd become weighted. His eyes remained fixed open, his lips twitching ever so slightly. Rhiannon sighed with relief. 

"I didn't think a spell would work." She murmured. Bill gave her an inquisitive look. 

"Why not? You never know unless you try." 

Rhiannon did not answer, but merely turned away to look upon the now stiff twin. It was then that Harry realized that Bill was right. Rhiannon was a professor at Hogwarts, but she'd only tried a potion. The next thing she should have done was to try a spell. He and his friends had been taught that early. But Rhiannon hadn't done this. In truth, she hadn't really tried at _all_. 

"We've got to get him to the hospital wing before he starts to spasm again." Rhiannon said, getting to her feet. 

Bill followed her example and grasped his brother's stiff body in his arms. Ron moved as though to follow them, then took a firm step back. Harry watched as Fred turned around and winked wearily at his brother then followed his older brother and teacher.

"I don't understand why this is happening." Ron murmured. 

Harry blushed slightly. He wished that he had told Ron about having seen Fred's midnight visit to Professor's Snape's classroom. He felt as though he was holding out on his friend. That was why he prepared himself to tell him, but was stopped by the queer sight of Fred. Fred stood utterly still in the hallway. He stood completely rigid in the middle of the hall, unmoving and more pale than ever. Then, his body fell stiffly and heavily upon the cold stone floor. When he collapsed, Ron let out a frightened yell. Harry quickly ran to the twin, reaching him before Ron and Hermione did.

Harry turned the boy over and was shocked at the difference in his face. His face was deathly white, his eyes wide and unblinking. His body began to spasm and his teeth began to chatter.But he seemed to, for only a moment, recognize Harry. Harry yelped as Fred's hand grabbed his collar and jerked him close to his sweating face. 

"Lis-listen Harry. Got to stop it. Got to stop it." Harry shook his head. 

"What are you talking about?" Harry whispered. Fred winced as the spasms racked his body, but he breathed deeply and continued to speak. 

"Gotta go get, ghost. Ghost. South passage. By Merlin. Don't tell Ron." He whispered harshly. 

"But Fred, what's happening?" Harry insisted, his fright increasing by the minute. 

"Everything. The twin effect, Snape said that, Dark Lord, everything. Climax. Coming into play, lives in the balance. Got to stop it, Harry. Got to stop it." Fred whispered. 

"Stop _what_, Fred?" Harry repeated, panic beginning to override all rational thought. 

"Bill knows. He knows. Rhia, Bill, they both know. Rhia," Suddenly, Fred's eyes seemed to clear and he lifted his red head slightly and stared unnervingly at Harry as he whispered, "Mirrors, eyes, murder, one. Only a little time left before it's gone." Then his eyes rolled back in his head as the spasms racked his thin frame. 

"Fred!" Harry whispered. The eyes opened once more, only they were nothing more than thin slits. 

"Don't tell Ronnie." He whispered.

Harry stared at the now stiff and slightly twitching body of Fred Weasley. He only vaguely heard Ron's shouts as he ran closer to him. Only then did Harry notice Draco Malfoy and Artemis Thornshadow, staring at him stonily from the end of the hall. That revelation caused excessive surprise and shock, but not so much as when he noticed that in the black depths of his ring, burning brightly, was an eye edged in flame dancing about it's surface. 

__

Harry stood wearily, fighting back the bile at the back of his throat, as Fred stiffened beside him. Ron rushed to him and threw himself hard on his knees at his brother's side. 

"Bill!" His strangled yell, filled with pain, quickly caught Bill's attention. Once more, he cursed aloud and ran to his brother. Rhiannon dropped down beside him. One look at the boy's pale, stiff face, caused her own face to pale. 

"We've got to get him out of here." She whispered. 

"Take the boy to the hospital wing. I'll bring this one." Severus Snape's cool voice cut through the dread as he stepped beside them quietly. Bill frowned slightly and shifted the stiff George in his arms, but Rhiannon did not display any sign of disbelief. She merely nodded and stood, turning to Ron, Hermione and Harry. 

"Go back to your rooms and stay there." She said firmly. 

"But Rhia," Ron started. 

"Listen to your teacher and do what she says!" Snape hissed. 

Ron cast a despairing look back at Rhiannon, who gave him a slight smile and nodded. Ron sighed and stepped away, Harry moving with him. As Bill and Rhiannon walked quickly away, Snape bent down beside the fallen twin and placed his hand on the boy's forehead. 

"C'mon Harry. Lets go." Ron whispered, beginning to move away. But Harry did not move. He watched as Snape rested his fingers on the boy's forehead, then checked the pulse in his neck. His hand slid from the boy's face and he simply stared at him in silence.

"What spell did they use?" Snape asked quietly. Harry started as he realized that the Professor was speaking to him. 

"Ah, I don't know. It was a spell that we haven't learned yet." Harry stuttered. 

"Well then, what were the words of the spell?" Snape snapped impatiently. Harry gulped and quickly spoke the words. 

"_Ridgidum Facio_, I think." Harry said. Snape nodded slowly before scooping the boy up in his arms and standing. 

"Go to your room, Potter. The halls of Hogwarts aren't safe. And I don't want you to take your _usual_ liberties of carousing about when you feel like it! For ONCE, obey the rules that are set!" Snape said crisply, turning on his heel and walking off. Behind him, Ron sighed. 

"C'mon, Harry. Lets go." Harry turned to him slowly. 

"Alright. But I, I've gotta use the restroom." He said quickly, walking off in the direction of the statue he had just found. 

"But, Harry, the restrooms are, oh, never mind." Hermione muttered. She shook her head as Harry walked briskly away from them. She knew he was up to something, but what it had to do with the current events, she had no idea.

Harry walked quickly down the hall. He noted with dismay that Artemis and Draco had disappeared from the corridor. As he went he counted his steps and tried to remember the passageway in which the statue had been. Then he looked down and saw Malificent stepping in front of him. She moved easily down the corridor, then stopped, her long black tail waving. Harry grinned and ran after the cat as she began to move again. Finally, he found what he sought. He stood at the entrance of the hall panting for a moment, staring hard at the statue. Malificent sat down on her haunches beside him, her eyes gleaming in the darkness. 

The hall was dark, the dull gray of the wall reflecting in the mirror the statue held. It was only then that he noticed that the hallway did not connect to any of the other hallways. It was a dead end. He _also_ realized, much to his discomfort, that the hallway was barely lit. 

"Alright, what do I do? I'm here. Fred said to get a ghost. What was he talking about?" Harry whispered to himself. "Peeves? No, Peeves couldn't keep a secret even if he wanted to. Nearly-Headless-Nick? He could keep a secret, but I don't think it's him. Then who could," Suddenly a wind coursed through the dank hallway, blowing hard against the now fluttering candles in the passageway. The eyes of the statue seemed to glow for a moment as a whir of light flew past them. Then Harry's heart seemed to jump up in his mouth when a smooth, male voice spoke quietly in the silence of the chamber. 

__

Nick could probably keep a secret, but probably not one this big. Don't you agree, Potter?

Harry stared in disbelief. Standing beside the statue of Merlin, one hand resting casually on the statue's shoulder, was Martin Wothes.

************************************************************************

**__**

Author's Note: I have something to say...........I HAVEN'T SEEN CHAMBER OF SECRETS YET!!!! AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! I think I'm going mad over here! We had this big thing and I was gonna go to the premiere, buuuuuuttttttttt, NO, I didn't get the chance to, although things downtown (where the theater is) were simply mad. People were everywhere. Simply mad. But still, I'll probably see it this weekend, and then multiple times afterwards. ;-) SEE IT, if you haven't already, like ME. *sniffles* Shewie, am I **evil** or WHAT?! What a terrible cliffhangar! And with the kids learning the "Unforgiveable Curses", oh dear. Hmm, did you guys get anything out of this? Besides being royally ticked off about the cruddy ending? :-) But don't worry, the next chapter will kick butt. Maybe SOME things will be revealed. *maybe*. :-) I'm so wicked. Um, okay, I was gonna say something.........oh yeah! I DID write the poem written on the mirror. Yes, I did, and man did that poor poem get me. I did *so* many revisions to it because I just wasn't satisfied with it. I know, picky, picky. But hey, it sounds good NOW doesn' it? :-) But I did NOT write this: 

****

Thou tell'st me, there is murder in mine eye: 

Tis pretty, sure, and very probable,

That eyes, that are the frail'st and softest things, 

Who shut their coward gates on atomies,

Should be call'd tyrants, butchers, murderers!

Now I do frown on thee with all my heart,

And, if mine eyes can wound, now let them kill thee;

Wish I had, but I didn't. :-)

Man, I think I must be the luckiest fanfiction writer EVER! I've got such amazing reviewers, who not only tell me what they like, but what they **don't** like as well. They criticize and critique, which helps me tweak future chapters! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I don't know how much more to say and express my thanks! I'm so glad you guys all liked the Yule Ball chapter. It was one of my favorites, just to get away from the death and destruction. Okay, on to the personal thank you's. 

****

Silver Elf: HEY!! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing my stories! I was really flattered to read your review for "A New Day"! Thank you so much! Thank you so much for your reviews here as well! Its great to have you on board! :-) *grins* I love Dobby too! Unfortunately, he will not be in this story. But he WILL be in the sequel to this one. :-) You got to see Chamber of Secrets!!!??? *pitches whining fit* :-) Hopefully I'll see it......SSSSSSOOOOONNNNNN!!!! I'm glad that it's really good and really true to the books. :-) Here you go!!! *hands Silver Elf a piece of draconite* There you are! Compliments of Charlie Weasley! He sent me some and I got an extra one. :-) There! It'll bring you good luck! *whispers* Bring it with you to school on test days. Your teachers will freak!! :-) I loved Richard Harris too. *sigh* Its really hard to believe he's gone. They didn't have a dedication in the film?? I thought for sure they'd add that in quick before they released it! Huh, that's odd. SEAN CONNERY!!!!! AS DUMBLEDORE!!!!!!! GAK!!! *starts choking madly, gets drink of water, but is still disgusted* Sorry, if *James Bond* is Dumbledore, I think I'll vomit. Now, I can see Ian McKellan doing it. We've already seen that he can do Gandalf ( I think its wicked that you like LOTR too! I *am* going to read and review some of your stuff as soon as I get more time! School, ick. Luckily, it's almost thanksgiving break. Yesss!) Of course, I also heard rumors of Christopher Lee (Saruman). I don't think he'd do it for me, just because I've got Saruman in my head. And Count Dooku (Star Wars: Episode II), but I think of Saruman first before that character. I just can't see him as the kind friendly old headmaster. Sorry. *grins* I'm sorry for the confusion in that one part that you mentioned. I do have a habit of doing that, and I apolgize. I try to tweak stuff I miss before I post, but sometimes I miss things. I will try harder to work it out so it makes more sense in situations like that. :-) I'm going on your fave author's list!! Wow! Thanks so much! I'm so honored! I'm pretty picky about my fanfiction too, all the people on this review board have kick-butt stories, which are in my fave stories list. Thank you so much! I'm so grateful to have your opinions and criticisms! It helps me so much! I love the Michelle Branch song too! It's so good. Heh-heh, Artie/Draco/George love triangle. I love it. So interesting to write, especially with how it turns out. *raises eyebrow, hoping people will sense the hint* :-) Okay, that wasn't a hint, but things do work out, one way or another. :-) Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I really enjoyed reading your reviews and comments! Thanks!! 

****

Balizabeth: Don't worry. I'm a major sap too. Overexcessively so. It takes all I have in me to keep from making Ron/Hermione scenes too fluffy. I mean, I want to keep to the love/hate relationship they have in the books, but at the same time........I WANT THEM TO JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY!! :-) You know what I mean? So it's a struggle. :-) I too, love the Draco/Artemis sentence using the imagery of the moon and the sky. It's one of my favorites. There's an almost magical quality about it that I just love. Why does everybody love Artemis? Well, why do George and Draco love Artemis? That's simpler and more realistic. Mainly because, they both see things in her that they like. George, the lighter of the two guys, likes her sense of humor and ability for mischief. After all, she was game to plant that constrogo in Snape's office! Draco, Draco is more complicated. I really can't say too much without revealing future stuff in the story, but I'll try. Draco has thought from the beginning that Artemis should have been in Slytherin. To him, she has the qualities of a Slytherin and he was royally astonished and ticked when there was obviously a quality she possessed that placed her in Gryffindor. There's also other things, but heh-heh, I can't really say. How can you get everybody to like you? :-) Go through life with a smile on your face and a chuckle at the ready, no matter what crap people say about you. Some people can be stupid about seeing amazing things that are, right in front of their noses. Give 'em time. *grins* How do I write so well? Well, ah, *blushes* I dunno. It's a gift I suppose. But partly its the reviewers help that keeps me on track, reminding me of little things that I forget! I really am quite a forgetful person! :-) Thanks so much for reviewing!

****

Kora: *laughs loudly* LIKE A ROCK!! YEAH! I've heard THAT commercial before. :-) Thanks for reviewing! I was actually kinda glad you were in a hyper mood, because then it helped you to enjoy the chapter all the more. It was rather a jump-up-and-down-and-just-have-fun chapter. I thought so anyway. :-) 

****

Hollie: YOU'RE NOT POSTING "FIRE HAWK" TILL DECEMBER 16TH???? *frantically looks through calendar ACK! THAT'S THE MIDDLE OF DECEMBER!! Of course, it IS right by the opening of "Two Towers". *grins and rubs hands together* AHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Rapture! Well, fine. I'll just have to wait then. *pouts* But I'm sure it'll be worth the wait to see the finished product. I frankly, can't wait! Okay, now back to the thank you. ;-) OH BLOODY HELL, DRACO!! 

*frantically grabs him from Hollie and puts him safely back in the story* 

Draco: It's about time, you nimrod.  


T.H.: Hey bucky, do you wanna be killed off?

  
Draco: YOU CAN'T KILL ME OFF!! I'M DRACO MALFOY!  


T.H.: Yeah, but I'm the author. I can kill you off quicker than you can say, 'undiluted bobotur pus'. 

*Draco pouts and runs back to Slytherin Common Room before T.H. can kill him off.*

*whispers* Not like I would though. He's too cute and too interesting of a character to write. :-) I hate the fidopup thing too. *scowls* Obnoxious creature. Obsequious knave. Ahh, the wonders of vocabulary. :-) 

****

"i have to say to you, i dont think i've ever read a fic that left me feeling like this when the chapter was over. this is almost the same feeling i'd get whenever i had to stop reading LotR to go to school or do something. i never in my life though that i'd have that same begging-for-more feeling when reading fanfiction. never. but, here i am, having it all over again. if you don't become a professional author someday, then there is something wrong with the world."

Wow! Reading what you wrote right there, I was so, well, I dunno. Honored, shocked, pleased, all of the above? Most likely all of the above and more. Thank you so much! That is so kind of you! I would love to become a professional author someday and actually am in the process of writing a novel. It's almost done, but I've got writer's block. Yeesh. But still. There's always Christmas and Thanksgiving break. :-) So thank you SO much! I am so pleased to have your opinion and your praise! That, geez, I'm just still like, 'Wow! That is so cool! THANK YOU!'. :-) 

I love writing thank you's too. They're like my favorite part, besides reading your guys' replies to it. :-) Yeah, that's write. This story was written, actually several months ago and it took that long to proofread all 20 something chapters, then get the guts to actually post it. *grins* I was actually quite nervous about putting it up because it was the first really BIG fanfic that I'd ever written. So I was nervous to see how people reacted to *my baby*. ;-) So yeah, this is done. I'm honestly not sure how long it's gonna take to get the second fic out. But from the way it's coming out, it seems like it's gonna be even longer than THIS one, so I really don't know. I might stagger these postings even more, just to give me more time so you guys won't be waiting for the next one for too long. But the next one is already..............99 pages long.............good grief. I'm just realizing how LONG that actually is. Jeezo. But it's really awesome! **I can tell you guys that right now, that the second one is gonna be even better than this one! Like we've got thrills right in the first chapter! What did you expect? Voldemort is on the loose after all!!** But I love writing it and I can't say anything else (though I long to) otherwise I'll give away THIS story's end and the next one's plot. Nope, no cliffies. I hate 'em, and YES you are evil with cliffies. :-) But it works. Keeps people coming back for more. :-) Thanks so much, luv! Rock on!

****

Torrential Zephyr: Yep, I posted the last chapter just for YOU! *winks* I know what thats like. I've had several bad weeks like that. Ew. Just gross. Then I go and read reviews to boost me up!!! ;-) I swear I WILL review your update, but I just haven't been able to get on for longer than ten minutes recently. I DID read it though! It kicks butt, like all of your stuff! :-) I love this chapter because its got TONS of Weasleys. I love them. :-) You can kinda tell with the way I write them. I just love writing them. They're so funny and sweet. And also I know a family almost exactly like them, so I've got a resource. :-) **_"Surely women can be polygamists... with fictional characters...." _***laughs hysterically, rolling on the floor etc.* I think I have to agree with you! I wouldn't mind it. Would be rather odd, but still, they're just so cute. I think the actors who play them in the films are just dolls. :-) Of course, Oliver Wood (Sean Biggerstaff) is ahead of them. :-) *looks at pictures of Sean Biggerstaff, James and Oliver Phelps.......swoons* Lol! *chuckles and gets back to writing 'thank you's'.) I agree with you. Here are my pairings: Ginny and Harry, Ron and Hermione. Of course, if it was for my story, I'd have to include Artemis, and it could go either way. Artemis/Draco, or Artemis/George. Don't worry, it'll be SEMI-cleared up in this story. :-) Yeah, I like the Sugilatio Flammae too. Pity her teacher thought it was so pointless to learn about so the *readers* could figure out it's significance in the story. :-) Its really cool, trust me, and by the way, your little observation of it, is pretty dead on. Keep that in mind for the next several chapters. :-) Are Artemis and Draco gonna end up together? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, well, that's an issue isn't it. :-) Actually, you can sift through my words and read my 'thank you' to Balizabeth. I give reasons and examples of things so you guys can guess and discern for yourselves which direction you think I'm gonna go with them. *grins* I love seeing what you guys think about stuff, especially about Artemis. *sigh* I'm so glad I didn't write her as a Mary-Sue. Shew. As for Harry and Cho...............sheesh, it's no good trying to get anything past you. :-) I agree with you totally. If you noticed, George made a comment to Artemis about that. 

"**_They look sweet together. Harry looks as though he's got a MAJOR crush on her." Artemis said. _**

"Oh he does! He has for a LONG time. But at the last Yule Ball, she went with Cedric Diggory. It's probably just a little crush, one that he'll get over, but he can have his moment." George said quietly. Artemis nodded knowingly, understanding his hesitation. 

That was a little hint actually, about future events. Frankly, I agree with you. That was why there was no real *chemistry* between Harry and Cho in this chapter. Sure, he thought she was pretty, but he never really went beyond that. Why? Because CEDRIC was holding him back. I agree. I don't think he'll ever get beyond that crush that he has because of Cedric. Well spotted!

I love the word Zephyr too!! Its SUCH a cool word!! There's a song out called "Zephyr", heard it yet? I'm not altogether fond of it, but its still a rockin' word. I just love your name though. Torrential, another kick-butt word. So cool. You're so creative. Needless to say, I couldn't come up with something NEARLY as cool for my name. But I think just initials has its charms too. :-) As for my author name, no, T.H. are not my initials. :-) I borrowed my pseudonym from one of my absolute favorite authors ever, who wrote one of my favorite books: "The Once and Future King", by T.H. White. That's a phenomenal book! You've got to get through the medieval language, but SO worth it. I love books about King Arthur, that one is undoubtedly my favorite interpretation. And such a cool title! Okay, I'll stop blathering. :-) So anyway, now you guys know the secret behind my name. :-) Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! You've no idea how much I take your opinions to heart. 

Oh, one more thing. I had forgotten to do this. I had meant to put this in the previous chapter, but ahhhh, I forgot. This is the list of songs *in order* that were used in the Yule Ball: 

*Note: I might get the title wrong, but there's really only one that I'm unsure of, of course, the first one. :-)*

****

"That's the Girl (I've Been Telling You About)", Blessid Union of Souls

"Everything You Want", Vertical Horizon

"Wherever You Will Go", The Calling

"All You Wanted", Michelle Branch

"I Will Love You" (I'm sorry to say that I lost the name of the woman who sang this. I had the lyrics as well as the name, but it has been so long......I apologize. Unbelievably, this *was* a country song that came out several years ago, and though it sounded REALLY good and sounded more easy listening than country, it flopped. Pity. If you get to hear it, its really gorgeous. Really fitting)

Thank you guys! YOU ROCK!!!

T.H.

__ ****

  



	14. The Secrets of Ghosts

****

CHAPTER 14.

THE SECRETS OF GHOSTS

__

"Martin?" Harry croaked aloud. The ghost smiled slightly and nodded. "But, you're, you're," 

__

Dead? Yeah, that's why I'm called a ghost. Get it?

Harry smiled faintly at the boy, but continued to stare at him in amazement. "Can't you talk normally? Your voice sounds, weird." Harry said hesitantly. The boy's voice _did_ sound odd. It bounced eerily off the close walls with an unusual echo that sent shivers skittering frantically down Harry's spine. That, combined with the smoky figure of the Slytherin boy, didn't make Harry feel comfortable in the least. Martin frowned and cocked his head.

__

Whaddya mean? It sounds weird? Oh! Sorry. I can do all sorts of things with my voice I couldn't do before. You know, throw it so it bounces off walls, make it echo, those kinds of things. Hold on.

A moment later, Martin's voice was projected into the hall, only without the echo. 

"How's that? Better?" He asked, his voice newly embodied. 

"Yeah, I guess. What are you _doing_ here? Where's, well," Harry stopped, embarrassed. Martin eyed him keenly, a smile playing upon his white lips. 

"You mean Cedric? Oh don't worry, Potter. No hard feelings mistaking me for Ced. Cedric's here. Don't doubt that. But he's runnin' his own patrol of things." Martin said with a shrug. 

"Was that him I saw with Professor Flutterae the night before the Yule Ball?" Harry asked tentatively. Martin nodded thoughtfully. 

"Yeah. He likes to hang around her. He usually does all the time. She doesn't notice, or if she does, she doesn't let on. She's got a lot of secrets that one." Martin said knowingly. 

"How do you know?" Harry demanded, forgetting his fear for a moment. Martin drew himself up proudly. 

"I'm a ghost! I can see through minds!" He said with a self-satisfied air. 

__

Yeah right. Harry's mind muttered before he could stop it. Martin frowned and stared hard at him. 

"You don't believe me? Hmm? Really? Well good. Because I'm lying." Martin said cheerily. Harry breathed a sigh of relief before hesitating, then continuing in a grave tone of voice. 

"Something's happened to Fred and George." Harry said slowly. Martin's cheery face immediately became grave. 

"I know. I saw it. He saw me too. Glad he told you where to find me. I sure had a hard time convincing him to let you in on it." He said. 

"What was all that rubbish though? All that stuff he said?" Harry asked, eager to discover what Fred had meant, just so he could help him and George.

"Like what?" Martin asked, stepping forward from the statue. 

"Well all that stuff about the 'twin effect' and 'lives in the balance' and all that stuff." Harry said. Martin gave a little nod of understanding. 

"Yeah well, thats all kinda complicated. See, Fred's mind isn't his own anymore." Martin said casually. 

"WHAT?" Harry yelled. The ghost frowned and put his finger to his lips. 

"Don't yell, kid. You don't want Snape coming back do you?" Martin chided. Harry shook his head silently. "Alright then, quiet down." Martin said, slipping his hands on his hips and beginning to pace the hall. "Well see, the 'twin effect' is something Snape came up with after Fred and George got hit by the **_Lucrum Insperatum_**. Both of them had identical marks, identical behavior. When one of them would shake, the other one would shake. When one was thirsty, the other one was thirsty. The twin effect. Their minds are conjoined." Martin explained. Harry nodded slowly in understanding. 

"But what about the **_Lucrum Insperatum_**? What is that?" Harry asked. Martin shook his head gravely and let loose a low breath.

"That's bad business. Did you ask Sirius?" He asked. Harry took a step back in surprise. 

"How do you know Sirius?" He asked. Martin snorted and then chuckled. 

"I'm not stupid. I _was_ in Hogwarts you know. Everyone knew about Sirius Black, especially after he escaped from Azkaban. And after it was all over, a few people figured he was either related to you or was just connected to you, seeing as you were all caught up in that whole affair. Well, a select few anyway. Besides," Martin said, drawing himself up from his slightly embarrassed slouch and pointing a finger accusingly at Harry. "I saw you writing a letter to him one night. You shouldn't do that. He told you not to." Martin said warningly. Harry shook his head in disbelief, remembering the one night when he had sat in the Common Room, feeling so horrible about what was happening, feeling so helpless. He had just wanted to tell Sirius everything, everything that had been happening, although he knew he shouldn't. He'd written every little worry and fear down on a piece of parchment, but didn't send it. Instead he carried it up with him to his room and tossed it in his trunk, Sirius' warning irking him whenever he looked at it. 

"I didn't _send_ it." Harry pointed out, blushing hotly. 

"No, but someone could _find_ it. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?" Martin demanded. 

"No. What were you doing in my room anyway?" Harry demanded. Martin threw his hands in the air with exasperation.

"Do I have to explain _all_ the stuff I do?" He asked.

"No."

"Well good. Anyway, I was just keeping an eye on you. Your, ah, well, someone told me to." Martin stuttered. Harry eyed the ghost boy carefully.

"Who asked you to watch me?" Harry asked. Martin smiled with an embarrassed air and shrugged.

"I really can't say yet. But, just know, Harry, that the people you love are closer than you think." Martin said quietly, his expression slipping back into a sober position. Seeing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with Martin on that subject, Harry proceeded to another thought.

"But tell me what a **_Lucrum Insperatum_** is." Harry said impatiently. 

"Hold your horses, Potter! A **_Lucrum Insperatum_** is exactly what you experienced, a mass force of evil all combined together into a monstrous swelling of power. There was a really huge one back in the 1800's, but that was the last time it was used. Don't you read history?" Martin demanded.

"That's more up my friend Hermione's alley." Harry said, blushing. Martin smiled and nodded. 

"Yeah, Hermione. She's an interesting character. Anyway, look that up if you want to know more about it. I'm not a dictionary." Martin said, crossing his arms. 

"Well what about the 'lives in the balance' thing?" Harry asked. Martin sobered and shook his head. 

"Sorry, kid. Thats for you to find out. Let me give you a hint though. You've been getting hints this whole entire time you've been here, and even _before_ you came here. What have you been seeing?" Martin inquired quietly. 

"Eyes." Harry said uneasily. 

"Well there you are. I've been trying to send you some hints myself, and Cedric is trying his best to get it through to you, but when you mistake me for him, it kinda wrecks things, you know? It doesn't help that both of us have gray eyes and most of the time ghosts are shades of gray or dull color to begin with." Martin said with a chuckle. "So anyway, look over what you've seen, what you've heard. Think about it. You're a smart kid, Harry. You've gotten through so many things that most kids would never have survived. And you've _gotta_ figure this out, otherwise Voldemort's power will come back in full." Martin said, an almost pleading note in his voice. Harry's blood froze as he heard the name of the man, the _thing_, who was so eager to kill him. 

"But he's real though! He's back! I thought he already had his power." Harry said fearfully. Martin shook his head seriously and scoffed. 

"Oh, he's real alright, but that doesn't mean that he's all-powerful yet. He's moving slowly, by degrees. The **_Lucrum Insperatum_** was the first strike on this place. But otherwise, he's been trying to get rid of powerful witches and wizards all over, and some that are just in the way. I'm proof of that." Martin said with a sad smile. 

"But how is it happening?" Harry pleaded. Martin shook his head. 

"You've gotta figure it out, Harry. I can't spell it out for you." He insisted.

"But what does this mean: 'Mirrors, eyes, murder, one. Only a little time left before it's gone.'" Harry recited desperately. Martin gave a wry smile. 

"Again Harry, you've gotta figure it out. But Fred basically spelled it out for you. He's a smart kid. Managed to get it out before his mind was conjoined. He gave you a massive clue. You've got to work with it, Harry. Work with it, otherwise tons of kids will end up like me and believe me, you don't want that to happen." Martin said, his voice slowly dissipating and the glow that was his body began to fade. 

"Wait! Martin! I don't know what to do! Why can't you tell me?" Harry yelled. There was now nothing left of the ghostly body. Only his voice remained. 

"Ghosts aren't allowed to interfere in the big scheme of things. Some kind of cardinal rule, I expect. A stupid one, but smart in some ways.You have to figure it out, Harry. Fred and George could die if you don't. But don't worry. I'll be here. I've been with you the whole time. I'm certainly not gonna skip out on you now." Martin said softly, his voice fading faster as the moments passed. 

"Martin! Martin!" Harry cried out desperately. 

But there was silence in the hall. Martin was gone.

__

Harry sighed and stepped out of the hallway dismally, the cat Malificent beside him. He'd almost forgotten that she was there. She trotted blissfully at his side, purring loudly, but he didn't think about her. He felt even more lost than before. Here he was, supposed to save two lives, as well as the lives of the entire school, and he didn't even know where to start. 

__

Lives hanging in the balance. 

Harry shook his head as he stepped up a staircase. Halfway up, he frowned and stopped, whirling about. Standing in the shadows of the hallway he'd just left, Harry made out the figures of Draco Malfoy and Artemis Thornshadow, their blonde hair shimmering in the dim light. They stood in front of the statue speaking quietly. 

"Artemis, no." Harry whispered frantically. 

Almost as if he'd heard him, Draco whirled about to face the staircase. His sharp eyes stared hard at the staircase, probing the very cracks in the stone. Harry pressed himself up harder against the staircase, praying that Draco didn't follow his instincts and come searching him out. 

Draco stepped closer to the stairs, one dark eyebrow raised high. He could sense a presence. It had been built into his very intellect to scent out those who interfered in his plans. He halted, then placed one foot on the step. He gave a wry half-smile. If anyone was up there, they would soon be routed out and would wish that they'd never tangled with him.He stepped onto the second step, then stopped as a female voice called softly to him.

He gave one last glance up the staircase, then stepped down, walking back to Artemis. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and breathed a sigh of relief. He waited a few moments before he hesitantly peered around the curved staircase. The hallway was now deserted. Artemis and Draco had disappeared. No footsteps had sounded in the echoing hallways. They had simply disappeared. But Harry did not dare to step down to the hallway. Instead, he rushed upstairs to the Gryffindor Common Room, but not before noticing that Malificent had disappeared. When he reached the landing he yelled the password to the Fat Lady ("Fizzing Whizzbees"), and threw himself through the portrait hole. There in the Common Room, he found a large crowd of sober Gryffindors all either sitting or standing with each other, saying nothing and looking thoroughly grave. 

When he stepped across the threshold, panting for breath, they all looked up at him as one. Then they dropped their heads. The Quidditch team, minus Fred, George and Artemis, were there, all looking more saddened than the others. 

"Alicia, where's Hermione?" Harry panted. Alicia Spinnet barely looked up as she pointed towards the staircase to the Girls' Rooms. 

"Thanks." Harry gasped between breaths as he rushed up the stairs. 

"What'd you do that for?" Angelina demanded half-heartedly. Alicia shrugged dismally. 

"It doesn't matter anyway. I think everybody's so out of it they won't even notice him." She said quietly. Angelina sighed and nodded in agreement, dropping her head into her hands. 

Harry threw open the door and stepped inside. It was completely deserted, save for one girl on a bed, furiously scanning a book. 

"Hermione?" Harry asked, stepping up to the bed. Hermione started as she heard his voice. Then her eyes widened in alarm. 

"HARRY! What are you _doing_ in here?" She demanded, blushing furiously as she attempted to toss a spare robe and skirt that were lying on the floor into her open trunk. 

"Alicia said I could come in, well sorta. Listen, I need to ask you something." Harry said. Hermione waved her hand impatiently. 

"Some other time, Harry. I'm researching **_Lucrum Insperatums_**. Come back later." She said, her eyes never leaving her book. 

"But Hermione, that's what I wanted to ASK you about!" Harry insisted. Hermione looked up and her face brightened.

"OH! Well, that's a different matter then." Hermione said matter-of-factly, beckoning him to her. "So far, I've learned that the last **_Lucrum Insperatum_** used was in the 1800's." 

"Was that done by Voldemort's followers too?" Harry asked settling down on the bed beside Hermione. Hermione chuckled gently. 

"Heavens no, Harry! You-Know-Who wasn't even BORN yet. No, this was done by several rogue wizards who wanted to prove something to those of us good wizards and witches left. It destroyed many Muggles in the process though." She said, continuing to scan the pages of the book. 

"So wizards and witches can't be destroyed by **_Lucrum Insperatums_**?" Harry asked, cocking his head to eye the pages. 

"Well, not in the way Muggles are destroyed. We don't die. Our energy, our life force is sucked from us. Some it leaves basic idiots, others it simply drains their energy. It depends on how strong they are." Hermione said sadly. 

"Do you think that's what's happening to Fred and George?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded quickly. 

"Oh, absolutely! All indications and deductions point to it. You see I talked to several people who were there after the storm. Apparently," Hermione leaned forward for effect. "Neither Fred nor George went to get help right after they brought Ron in. They stayed on their feet as long as they could. They should have gotten the hollyhock potion that Professor Snape and Professor Flutterae were administering right away. But they didn't." She said quietly. 

"So now their bodies are," Harry stopped, unsure of how to voice his thoughts. 

"Weakened. Greatly now it seems. The potion may have come too late." Hermione said wearily, casting her hand over her face. 

"But you said that no wizard or witch has ever died." Harry protested. 

"Not when the actual storm happened, no. But several wizards and witches died later. Their life energy was simply sapped away." Hermione explained. 

"Is there any cure?" Harry asked. Hermione slowly shook her head. 

"Not that I know of. Not for someone who's waited that long. But I think I read somewhere that if they are but a little bit away from death's door, there is a chance." Hermione said.

"Thanks, Hermione." He stopped hesitantly and glanced down at Hermione. "Have you told Ron any of this?" Hermione shook her head wearily. 

"I just found it out and he won't come down to the Common Room. I even went up to his room and knocked on the door. Neville told me that he won't move. He's just sitting in his bed with the curtains drawn." Harry shook his head, thinking of his friend and what he must be going through.

"Keep trying, okay?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded. 

"Of course. He must be so," Hermione suddenly ceased to speak, a blush rising on her cheeks. "Where did you go when Snape told us to go upstairs?" Hermione asked abruptly. Harry stopped as he began to stand, then lowered himself back onto the bed. 

"I, I can't really say."

"You can tell _me_, Harry.Honestly, after ALL we've been through." Hermione said sharply. Harry let loose a nervous chuckle. 

"Yeah, well. It's just kinda complicated." He said, an almost sarcastic tinge in his voice. _If only she knew **how** complicated_. He thought wryly.

"I've got time." Hermione insisted. 

"But I don't. I can't tell you all of it now, but," Harry stopped as he stood again, looking down at the girl who eyed him expectantly. 

"Hermione, was there ever a mirror created by Merlin to show the thoughts of who looked in it?" He asked hesitantly. Hermione paused, frowning. Then she paged through the large book she held in her hands. 

"I thought I read about _something_ along those lines. Not anything about the thoughts, more along the lines of the _heart_. Here we are!" Hermione said, stabbing her finger at a certain page. "Merlin supposedly created a mirror out of pity for the human race, but it was destroyed a long time ago." She insisted. 

"What if it wasn't? Could somebody make a copy?" Harry asked breathlessly. Hermione cocked her eyebrow as she stared at Harry. 

"Well, certainly. It's quite a popular legend in the wizarding world. Some people have tried to make copies, but they never came out as powerful as they intended."

"But if someone _did_ make a copy, a very powerful copy, would it be dangerous?" Harry asked tentatively. Hermione's large brown eyes widened.

"Well, I suppose it would depend on whose hands it got into." Hermione faltered. 

"Why?" Harry asked. 

"Because, well in other past copies, the owner's intentions were imprinted on the mirror, so that it would do only its owner's bidding." She said quietly. 

"So when Merlin had the mirror, it only did its work for good, because he wanted it only to do good." Harry murmured thoughtfully. Hermione nodded slowly. 

"That's right." She answered. Harry nodded, moved towards the door, then turned. 

"Hermione, could a mirror like that, well, hurt anyone?" He asked. Hermione blanched as she stared at Harry, her brown eyes standing out from her pale face. 

"Possibly." She said, her voice almost a whisper. 

"Thanks, Hermione." Harry said simply, exiting the room.

He walked through the Common Room, then down the staircase. He eyed the empty hallway, then walked towards it. The statue's blank eyes stared unnervingly at the wall in front of it. Harry eyed the mirror in its hands. He stretched out one finger to touch the shimmering surface, then retracted it suddenly as a loud scream echoed through the entire school. 

__

No, two screams. He thought. _Two screams as,_ His heart rose in his throat as the realization came to him. _Two screams as ONE._

Harry took off, running down the hallway, trying to make his way to the hospital wing. But before he could reach it, the walls of Hogwarts seemed to crumble inwardly, shaking violently. Harry fell to the floor as a black mist flew violently into his face. 

He tasted blood as he sat up with a groan. The black mist was all around him, reeking of evil. He limped to the wall, which amazingly was still standing, and looked out the cracked window. It was without a doubt another **_Lucrum Insperatum_**, only this one was more violent and horrifying than the last. Out on the lawn, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and the other professors stood still, their wands raised as they attempted to ward off the storm. Only two professors were missing: Snape and Flutterae. 

Harry tore himself away from the window. There was not much time left. Hogwarts was in chaos. There were students running everywhere in a panicked frenzy. Several students fell to the ground as debris pounded around them, their screams doubled by the large halls. Some were struck by the falling bricks of the school, others were struck by the pure evil that seeped through the broken walls of Hogwarts. Harry choked violently as he ran through the halls and the massive crowds, breathing the dust exuded by Hogwarts' dying walls. By some miracle, he made his way to Professor Flutterae's classroom. 

"Professor! Professor Flutterae!" Harry screamed, pushing himself through the falling debris. The room was almost completely destroyed. Papers and books lay on the floor and desks were turned over. Dust littered the ground and rocks came pounding down from the crumbling walls. It was all this and more, but it was also empty. "PROFESSOR!" Harry screamed. 

He quickly dodged a mountain of stones that fell from the ceiling, just barely missing him. Harry fell to the ground as another rumble jerked the school. As he lay prostrate on the ground, he cast his eyes across his ring. The ring was now aglow, the flamed eye looking as though it would explode through the black jewel that held it captive. Harry jerked his eyes away and slid his hands through the papers as he attempted to stand. Then he ceased to raise himself and instead stared closely at the papers below him. In the jumble of papers beneath Harry's fingers, one paper stuck out. Written and drawn on it were an eye, wreathed in flame, a mirror, two glassy eyes, and the phrase, 'Mirrors, eyes, murder, one. Only a little time left before it's gone'. 

__

Harry stared at it in disbelief, then cringed as the castle shook once more. He rushed to the window and stared out it. All the Professors were still standing, but weariness exuded from their strong figures. Then a frantic feeling shot through his body as he saw several shadowy figures proceeding across the lawn towards the weary professors. _Dementors_. So many of them. But the Professors did not back down. Harry stepped back from the window, feeling the cold fear and dread that inhabited him whenever he even spoke the name of the creatures coming towards this haven, this haven he'd made his home. As the walls crumbled around him, Harry shoved the paper in his pocket and dashed out of the classroom as the bricks toppled from the ceiling above him. He ran through the screaming masses and began to push himself towards the hospital wing. 

The hospital wing door was covered in fallen debris, but Harry managed to push enough debris away to get through. He ran through the door, his frantic eyes searching for the red headed twins. At the far right corner, he found them. Their eyes were both closed, their right arms crossed across their chests. Identical positions. Harry gulped, then poked Fred. 

"Fred. Please wake up." He whispered frantically. Both twins jolted, then opened their eyes slowly. They both frowned, then relaxed slightly. 

"Oh! Hullo, Harry." Harry shuddered at the horrible sound. It was a dual voice, two voices speaking the same words, both faces staring eerily at him with identical expressions. 

"Not much time left, Harry. Gotta stop it." Fred/George said. 

"I know! But you've gotta tell me HOW!" Harry yelled, shielding his head as debris was showered on him. Both twins frowned and shook their heads. 

"Did you talk to the ghost? Martin?" They asked. 

"Yes, yes! He didn't tell me much! I don't know what to do!" Harry yelled. 

"You're panicking. That's not going to get you anywhere." Fred/George said disapprovingly. 

"I don't CARE! Everthing is falling apart! I need to know what to DO!" Harry screamed. 

Suddenly, the ring began to glow brightly. After Harry had left Professor Flutterae's classroom, the ring's flame had died down. But now it was revived. Fred\George's eyes fluttered wearily and their eyes rolled back in their heads. 

"Fred. FRED!" Harry hissed. Fred and George's eyes suddenly snapped open, frightening Harry. 

"Password. Password." They murmured quietly. 

"What?" Harry whispered.

"Follow the trail of the dragon and the huntress. Follow. Password." They murmured quietly, closing their eyes.

"Fred, George?" 

It was no use. The twins were out. Their eyes opened no more. As the walls shook around him, Harry shook his head and ran out, shielding himself with his arms as he did so. 

"The dragon and the huntress. The dragon and the huntress. Dragon," Harry whispered as he ran through the halls. 

"Harry." A soft disembodied voice whispered in his ear as he ran through the hall. Harry skidded to a stop as a ghostly figure appeared in front of him. 

"Oh no," Harry ejaculated softly. Cedric stood in front of him, his hand up. 

"Cedric," Harry started, but the ghost shook his head violently. 

"No time, Harry. You can't go back to Gryffindor Tower." Harry frowned, his former fear being taken over by aggravation at all the obstacles that stood in his way. 

"Why not? I've got to! I've gotta ask Hermione something!" 

Cedric shook his head with a determined air. 

"You can't, Harry. The Gryffindor Tower is collapsing. Hermione was hit on the head. She won't be of any use to you." Cedric said firmly. 

"Then I've got to go to her!" Harry said, trying to get past the ghost. But Cedric put one cold hand on his shoulder, shocking Harry with it's icy touch. 

"I'll handle it. She'll be fine. You must do what Fred and George told you to do." He said. 

"But I don't KNOW! What do dragons and huntresses have to do with passwords and stuff?! I don't understand!" Harry screamed desperately. Cedric's gray eyes flashed violently.

"Well you bloody well better find out. The Dementors have crossed the line. They're in Hogwarts." Harry took a step back while Cedric took a step forward. "You must use the information you have gained. The ring is trying to help you. Listen to it, listen to your heart, use your wits. Otherwise you might not live through Voldemort's attacks this time." Cedric said, beginning to fade out. 

"Just tell me one thing! Where do I go?!" Harry yelled frantically. 

"The statue." The ghostly voice was almost a whisper, but it was enough. Harry ran through the dusty halls. It was almost impossible to find his way through the disasterous halls. As he ran, he couldn't help but wish that he'd had the sense to get the Marauder's Map from his trunk while he was upstairs. It would certainly be helpful about now. He got lost several times, but finally found the hallway. The statue and the hallway was untouched by the falling debris. He skidded to a stop at the entrance of the hall. 

"The trail of the dragon and the huntress." Harry stopped suddenly. He had remembered something, something Professor Binns had taught them in History of Magic. Something about a goddess, a goddess of the moon who was also, "The dragon and the _huntress_! Draco and Artemis!" Harry whispered breathlessly as he ran to the statue. 

As he finally reached the statue, a fierce burning on his finger caused him to yelp in pain. His ring was glowing brightly, the eye almost jumping from its restraints. He threw it to the ground as it began to burn his finger and the ring turned around as it fell to the floor. The ring sat upright, a shot of light flying towards the statue. The light fell upon the glassy eyes of the statue and rested there persistantly. Harry frowned and shook his head frantically, then drew out the paper he'd found in Rhiannon's classroom. Written and drawn on it were an eye, wreathed in flame, a mirror, two glassy eyes, and the phrase, 'Mirrors, eyes, murder, one. Only a little time left before it's gone'. Then Harry remembered the strange reaction when he'd looked into the eyes of the statue.

He stood on tiptoes and stared into the glassy eyes of the statue. His own eyes reflected in the glassy gaze. A fierce glow erupted about him as the eyes burst into light. Harry stepped back tentatively. The eyes continued to glow wildly. _It's waiting for something._ He looked back at the note, then at the statue before yelling at the top of his lungs, 

"MIRRORS, EYES, MURDER, ONE! ONLY A LITTLE TIME LEFT BEFORE IT'S GONE!" 

The statue slid from the wall, revealing a dark doorway. On the ground, the black ring glowed red, cutting a path through the darkness. Harry picked it up and slipped it back on his finger, pointing it into the darkness as he stepped inside the doorway. The statue slowly slid back into place, the eyes once more glassy and unseeing, leaving Harry alone in the darkness with only the bright glow of the ring to light his way.

__

************************************************************************

__

****

Author's Note: Heh-heh. *runs from ticked off reviewers as they read MASSIVE cliffy* I know, I know! It's terrible! AWFUL! But I had to end it here. Trust me guys, the chapter after this, is one of the most emotional, goosebumpy chapters yet. Lots of things will be explained and Harry will confront.........well, you'll just have to see won't you? :-) *stares unblinkingly at number of reviews* OH. MY. GOSH. You guys! Bloody hell! I mean, goodness gracious. ;-) I seriously never believed that I would get up to, or over one hundred reviews for this story! The most reviews I've gotten for any of my stories was 85 for my Lord of the Rings story, pretty good, as competition and updatings are really big there too, almost as bad as it is in the HP section. Thank you guys SO much! I am so surprise and thrilled with your comments and your critiques and I can't thank you enough for them! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! *sigh* I'll hold off on that for a minute. I SAW HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS!! GAK! Have you guys seen it yet? Ahhh, it was great. So much better than the first one. The kids were great. I loved Ron the best, of course. He's my favorite character in the books anyway, and Rupert Grint only heightens my love of him. Fantastic, fantastic. Actually, I've now seen it twice and I've loved it both times, even when our bloody film projector broke down in the theater. *grumbles* It was down for like fifteen minutes, maybe twenty, rather a humorous incident actually. It was just like in those parody films, like Mystery Science Theaters, if any of you have ever seen them. We were watching Hermione talking seriously about the Chamber of Secrets, and all of a sudden the voices went, "Whhheeennnnooonnnnmmmmpppppppp" and the film started to bubble and it completely fried! Like I said, rather surprising, but terribly humorous. It also gave me more inspiration, so I've been working non-stop on this story's sequel. It's coming along famously and I can't wait for you guys to read it. *sigh* Okay, I'll quit jabbering now and will get on to the personal thank you's. :-)

****

Curly29: Thanks for reviewing! I love the twins too! Torturing them is really hard to do, but.........necessary. Will they die? Hmmmmm, we'll see. :-) Thanks for reviewing!

****

Talentedwithapen: Thanks so much for taking time to review! *blushes* I'm really flattered by your comments! Thanks so much! I'm really glad that you enjoy the story so much! :-) Thanks!

****

Skahducky: *blushes* Thank you so much! I'm honored by your comments! I'm really glad you enjoy the story! Keep reading! It gets better. ;-)

****

ElVeNdEsTiNy: HEY!! *hugs* How are you?? I haven't heard or talked to you in a while! How are ya? I already said that. Sorry. Just was really excited and really surprised to get reviews from you! :-) Thanks for taking the time to do so! I really enjoyed your comments. Wow! Thank you so much for your praises! **I'm** the best writer you've read on ff.net??? WOW! Thank you so much! I'm so honored to be held in such high opinion! That is so cool, you know? I'm so glad! I *do* hope to write a book. I'm in the process of doing so. You guys can be sure that if it actually does get published, I'll be sure to tell you all! :-) Yes, I've got an LOTR story. Rather abstract, actually. It's kinda on hold, but I'm waiting for inspiration. Writer's block. Ick. I hate it. I hope it gets done soon so you can read it! :-) I'm so glad you like Artemis! I really am! I was afraid that I would write her as a Mary-Sue, but I was assured by others that that wasn't so, and I'm glad you guys don't think so. It really means alot. Doesn't Artemis (the goddess) rock? I love her and I love the name, and it's rather appropriate for THIS Artemis as well, but that comes later. ;-) Thank you so much for ALL your praise! I only hope I deserve them. I remember when I first started posting this story and I didn't think I'd ever get tons of reviews like several of my friends' HP stories. But now..........thank you so much! I can't say that enough! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! ;-)

****

Quiet One: AAHHH!! One of my fab new reviewers!! Thanks so much!! I was so thrilled to read your comments and critiques! Ahh, a friend of Hollie's, eh? THANK YOU HOLLIE!!!! :-) Seriously though, I'm really glad you found this and actually enjoy it! Thats mainly why I write, just to give out something for people to enjoy. I'm so glad I'm not working in vain. :-) You know, I think the reason why we girls like Malfoy is the bad boy image. It just gets us every time. Cute and a bad boy. Just a daring combination. I'm with you! :-) Ah! A cookie!! *eats happily while reading Quiet One's reviews* I agree with you. Hermione DOES need to get a life other than her schooling, which Ron tries desperately to get her to do. *sigh* She'll learn eventually.......I hope. :-) Heh-heh, I like to talk to stories too. I do that a little too much in my reviews. I'm just like, "GAH! NO! Don't do that you prat! What are you THINKING?" and I'm SURE that the authors are like, 'ooooohhhh what's this person on?'. *grins* But I can't help it. It's a habit. **"A stink bomb especially for divination, I'm sure Trelawny feels special. I'm sure that made a great combination with that scented smoke she always has."** LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!! I laughed SO hard when I read that! Really good point! *grins and begins to laugh again at the thought, or rather, the **smell**.* Yes, Quidditch games are really hard to write. I found that out with this story. This was my first HP story and I was like, 'okay, this'll be easy'....................no comment. But seriously, you've got to consider all the players, their actions, movements, everything. Very tiring. My GOODNESS, you're sharp! I'm not going to say why, or to what comment that you made, but you are on to many things. Keep your eyes open. The greatest compliment I've received here, not only from you, but from other people, is that when they're reading this story, it's almost like they're reading the books. That is such an amazing compliment and it just makes me so exceedingly happy that I can't put it into words. Thank you SO much! I am so glad that everyone loves this story so much! It just makes me so happy! Welcome to the story! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, er, despite the cruddy ending. :-) Thanks for all your comments!!

****

Silver Elf: (love your name by the way, don't think I've told you that. Don't mind me, I've got a fetish for author names! *wink*) Thank you so much! I try to space the updates till everybody who usually reviews gets a chance to read it so they won't get behind. I know what THAT'S like to get behind in a story. :-) *grins* Here! I'll take one of those badges!! *pins on the badge for the 'Society for the protection of Fred and George Weasley'* Thanks! Okay! Lets go save Fred n' George! :-) I love them too. They're two of my favorites, and the actors who portray them are just sweet as can be. LOL! I loved it when you bapped Draco over the head. :-) Not that he didn't deserve it. *grins* Thanks so much for your comments. I really enjoy reading your reviews! You're so funny, sweet and enthusiastic! It puts a smile on my face any day. :-) Yep, I thought I was particularly evil with the cliffhangar for the last chapter, and I'm pretty sure that I'm gonna have to hide from the reviewers because of the cliffy in THIS chapter. *locks self in protective bunker* But I'm trying to keep true to the books and J.K.'s style, so I pretty much had to end it here. Thanks for all your comments! Luv ya!

****

Balizabeth: Hullo, luv! Thanks so much for your praise! (I grin every time I read your reviews, 'My Muse'. I'm just so thrilled to be such a talented writer's muse!! *grin*) Thanks for your comments! I personally believe that though Fred and George are goofy, fun-loving and cheerful, I think they're smarter than they let on. Their haggling and persistance in "Goblet of Fire" rather gave us a hint of that. *shivers* That part was pretty scary. I had goosebumps when I was writing it and I was hating myself for doing it to them, but it had to be done. Oooh! You believe in Neville too?? Cool! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that he will be more than he seems in the coming books. When I read her books, I've come to realize that she tends to use the smallest characters to use in her plot twists, the most unexpected. I try to build upon that and use it to my advantage in this story and my next story. Yeah, the teaching of the Unforgiveables was *pretty* freaky. But something I anticipated would happen soon. Next year, (or rather in this story's sequel) there will be alot more involvement with these curses. *blushes BRIGHT red* Thanks so much! No, I don't usually write poetry, but I thought that the poem in this story was the best I've ever written. Thanks! I'm really glad you liked it so much! I did read your update! It was phenomenal! I will probably get around to reviewing it, maybe sometime in the evening over the next few days. Not sure when. My schedule is pretty ratty, so who knows? But I promise that I *will* review it! It was marvelous! Thanks so much!

****

Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweak: Yeah! You're back! I was wondering where you got off to! Yes, the chapters have been getting MUCH creepier, and will continue to do so in later chapters. :-) The second poem was actually part of the play, "As You Like It", by William Shakespeare. Act 3, Scene 5, if you're curious. :-) It just fit in so well that I had to use it, and *eventually* makes way for chilling discoveries. It actually does have great significance in the plot of this story........but you've got to figure it out for yourself. *grins* I AM evil, aren't I? OH! You are SO lucky! Seeing the film on premiere day?? *pouts* Bugger. Oh well, I did get to see it! Wasn't it fab? Just amazing? I loved it! I was crouched in my seat, watching the basilisk scene through my fingers. Fabulous! The special effects were amazing and the kids were great! Especially Rupert Grint. :-) My one qualm was that they gave most of Ron's dialogue about the wizarding world to Hermione, in Hagrid's hut, you remember? That was my only problem. RON IS SMART PEOPLE! HE DOES KNOW SOMETHING!! HE WAS BORN AND RAISED A WIZARD!! GAHHH!! :-) Okay, I'm done. :-) But all and all, fab. Loved Christian Coulson's (Tom Riddle) performance as well. Just chilling, that one. I'm totally with you on Richard Harris. It was so unexpected. *sigh* He'll be missed, that's for sure. Such an interesting guy. Ahh, getting kicked of my *cough* sisters *cough* That sounds familiar!! :-) Thank you so much! Your comments are so helpful to me!!

****

Torrential Zephyr: Buddy!! *gives T.Z. a gargantuan hug* Glad to see you! Or rather, hear from you. :-) Thats okay about your delay. I love movie fests! and I can also understand how they can be rather, er, time consuming, shall we say. *grins* Thats how I feel that Harry will react to Ron and Hermione if they become a couple. I mean, they're all friends, but he'll be only slightly jealous, not terribly, but slightly, just because he's somewhat left out of the loop. Glad you liked it. Thanks! Glad you liked my poetry. It was worth all those revisions for as well as it came out! I was so relieved everyone liked it! :-) Can I just not get little things past you, or what??? :-) Your comment about Athena is quite good. Keep that little fact, the fact about Artemis purchasing her, in mind. It's quite an important fact, which might not be revealed in this story, but in its sequel. *shakes head* Well spotted, you little clever person you! :-) I'm really glad you enjoyed reading the D.A.D.A. class! I rather enjoyed writing it and this class also is important to future events in the story. I enjoyed reading it when I was reviewing my stuff, making sure I got every little mess-up (which I obviously didn't. *grins*). Oh you're not the only one who got goosebumps. Fred and George, those Weasleys. They were giving me a horrendous case of the goosebumps when I was *writing* this chapter. *shudder* It freaks me out frankly. Pretty sad, when my own works freak me out. :-) Nope! You're not the only person who talks to the characters! I do TOO! *pulls out a badge reading N.S.O.F.T.* National Society of Fan Talkers, want one? :-) I admit, I get a little mad when I'm reviewing. :-) Nope. Harry and Cho, not for me. No way. Just wanted to give Harry a little relief, a little bit of a fulfilling for his crush. But no, I don't think they'll go anywhere. *sigh* You are one sharp, clever fan. You, you, well, you are. Stick to your reviews and look over the stuff that you noticed. You might discover some things. And if you do, I'll be shocked. :-) Thanks so much! Luv ya! 

****

Sarah Minks: Hey! How are ya? Haven't heard from you in a while! But then again if you've got a hard schedule, I know how that is! :-) Hope things are going well.I'm really glad you enjoy the story! Martin Wothes was the boy referred to in the very beginning of the story. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George met him in Diagon Alley after he was tricked by one of Fred and George's numerous joke contraptions. After Bill apparated into the Weasley home, he informed Mrs. Weasley that it had been reported that a Slytherin, Martin Wothes, was killed. Just to kinda refresh your memory a bit. ;-) Glad you like the story! Thanks for reviewing!

****

Kora: Hey! Yep, Merlin rocks my socks. Had to use him in the story. He's just too cool in myth and legend not to use. I didn't mean to characterize Christopher Lee actually. I do have great respect for him as an actor because you're right, he IS amazing! A fabulous actor! But those are the only films I can recall *clearly* having seen him in, so that's all I remember. So in my funky little mind, I just compare Dumbledore/Richard Harris and Christopher Lee and (inevitably) Saruman. Just the funky way my mind works. :-) I'd love Ian McKellan though. Don't know. Really glad you enjoyed the chapter! :-)

****

Hollie: Oh don't worry about being sidetracked! I've had that happen to ME too recently! I totally understand! It's completely alright! :-) Just glad you made it! Oooohhh!! 4,000 words?? I can't wait to read your update! I can tell it's gonna kick well, erm, *whispers* arse. :-) I can't wait to read it! KEEP WRITING!!! Oh yez, there IS a reason for Rhiannon teaching them the Unforgiveables. A reason to come all too soon. Okay, I'll say this: **THE SITUATION WITH THE EYES *WILL* BE CLEARED UP IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! PROMISE, CROSS MY HEART, HOPE TO DIE, OTHERWISE I'LL LET FRED N' GEORGE THROW WATER BOMBS IN MY EYE. ***chuckle* I promise. :-) It will be cleared up. *grins and rubs hands* Can't wait to see what you guys think of it. I am terribly cruel, aren't I? Just fiendish. And this cliffy ain't much better. In fact, in some ways, I think it's worse!! Evil, just evil. :-) I LOVED THE MOVIE!! IT ROCKED!!! KICKED LOTS OF BOOTAY! :-) Oh, I most certainly agree. Tom Felton, that little bum, is one of the cutest little buggers on screen. *sigh* Along with the others, Fred (James), George (Oliver Phelps), Oliver Wood (Sean Biggerstaff), Dan and Rupert, but they're cute in a different way. Tom is cute in a, well, *dangerous* way. :-) Don't give me this crap about him not being a heartthrob because he's growing up. If anything, it'll make him even more of a heartthrob! :-) But I'm glad you couldn't steal him from the film screen! Otherwise *I* wouldn't have been able to see him! 

Draco: Why are you wearing glasses?

Goyle(Harry): Oh, um, reading.

Draco: Didn't know you could read. Huh.  


CLASSIC! I was laughing so hard in that part! So great! But it was only accentuated by his facial expressions! *sigh* Great job, kids, great job. *chuckles* I'd give J.K. a run for her money, huh? I'd certainly love a share in that money. :-) Thanks so much though! Your comments make me blush as red as Ron. :-) And you know that's bad. Yeah, who knows. I could see Ian McKellan as Dumbledore. He's British anyways. Or at least somewhere in that spectrum of the country. But he could be an unknown too. Who knows? Ahhh, don't get me started on Orlando Bloom. *sighs dreamily* Now HE could be in the HP films and I wouldn't cry. ;-) Now, who could he play???? Hmmm................I KNOW!! BILL! HE COULD PLAY BILL! He'd just have to dye his hair red and keep it long. Well a wig, whatever. I dunno. Could I see that? I'm trying. Who knows, maybe the film people will read my mind and do it anyways! :-) That would rock my socks. *sigh* I can't wait for your new chapter. Ooh good! More about Adele! I knew from the beginning, there was just.....something. Something odd. Can't wait to figure it out! Alright! Cool! More to Kelly, the issues get more complicated. *evil cackling* I love it when things get complicated! Makes this a lot more interesting!! :-) Ginny is an interesting character to write. She's in the sequel to this more, and she's already proving interesting. AAHHH! Can't wait till you guys can read the sequel, although there's TONS to go. This next one's plot is so complex. Really involved. *sigh* I'll just have to be patient. Being patient builds character. :-) I never get bored reading your reviews! I love reading about them! Don't worry about rambling! I find them very interesting. Now you probably think I'm really *odd* but I do. :-) I love reading about what my reviewers think and stuff. Makes my day. Thank you so much for all your comments! I love them and hold them in VERY high esteem! Thanks again!!

  
Thanks you guys! You're all amazing! Remember: **IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, MOST OF THE THINGS BROUGHT UP IN THIS STORY WILL BE REVEALED AND PUT INTO THE LIGHT. **heh-heh. Can't wait to hear what you think about it. :-) Thanks again!

Yours,

T.H.

**** **__**


	15. The Master's Mirror

**__**

I apologize from the bottom of my heart for this excruciatingly long wait! I was all set to put this up the day after Christmas, and my computer would not allow me to go online. That's okay, I've got the next day right? Wrong. There was a family emergency and I had to leave all of a sudden. Therefore, I just got back on January 1st, 2003. I'm all set to put it up and ff.net poops out. My moronic, bloody git of a computer kept saying that I didn't exist, my stories didn't exist, YOU GUYS didn't exist.......it was scary. :-) I haven't been able to get on for the last couple days now and today is the first day I've even been able to get on ff.net! So in celebration of the new year, *scoffs*, here's this new chapter! Happy New Year to all! I apologize again for the wait!

This chapter is dedicated to all you fabulous readers and reviewers! HERE YOU GO GUYS!

************************************************************************

****

CHAPTER 15.

THE MASTER'S MIRROR

__

Harry tentatively stepped along the rumbling hallway, his eyes slowly adjusting to the sudden darkness. The tunnel was dark, the walls damp. The place did not look like the other halls of Hogwarts. The other halls looked lived in, inhabited. This hall looked like it had been built, then forgotten. 

But not completely forgotten. 

Harry could clearly see other footprints besides his own imprinted on the dusty stone floors. The thought that there was someone else here did not entirely set his mind at ease. He didn't know _who_ could be waiting for him around the bend. As he rounded a corner, his ring suddenly flared brighter, spreading its blood-red light over the walls. Harry looked about, expecting to see someone before him, waiting for him. But all he saw was a carving on the stone walls beside him. 

**__**

Beware! Be careful, for you descend,

'Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears.'

Harry shuddered inwardly as he moved away from the warning. _Someone_ was trying to warn him, but whether the person who wrote it was on his side or not, he was sure he'd never know. He shuddered and pointed the ring further into the darkness. Crimson light cut through the darkness, revealing the stone walls of the castle. The broad hall barely shook as he walked through it, giving him the impression that he was far undergroundnow. He walked steadily and firmly till his light ran across another message on the wall. When he stepped closer, he realized that it was not a note, but a series of signatures cut into the soft limestone. He shook his head in astonishment as he took them in.

__

We, the Marauders, found this passageway fairly and squarely. All who enter this place are hereby in our domain. 

If you enter this place without our permission, consider yourself cursed.

__

Don't listen to Sirius. He doesn't know when to stop. 

Either way. It's ours, we found it. Get over it.

****

The Fabulous Marauders:

****

Sirius Black

__

Remus Lupin

Peter Pettigrew

__

James Potter

Harry smiled wistfully and stretched out a finger to touch his father's signature etched into the stone. The eroded surface seemed to warm to his touch, giving him a certain inner strength. He smiled and turned from that wall, walking forward into the inky blackness. 

Dangling spider webs floated from above him, gently brushing the sides of his face with their soft tendrils. A musty odor floated about the place, an odor of silence, the odor of a deserted place. The walls and floors were coated in dust that had not been disturbed for years. Harry felt almost uncomfortable treading these halls, for to him, they felt sacred and should not be disturbed. But the knowledge of Fred and George's helplessness spurred him on, further and further into the darkness.

Finally, he emerged into a chamber. It was an immense hall, great enough to house all of the four houses for dinner. Blazing torches were hanging in their places on the walls, shedding eerie, bouncing lights across the floor. But the ring's glow did not diminish. Instead, it became stronger, brighter as Harry stepped across the threshold.. 

"Ah! Harry Potter! You have finally come!" A wistful, breathy, female voice murmured happily, echoing throughout the chamber. 

Harry squinted into the dim light and stared about him. There was nothing in the room, no one either. 

"I wish to see him for myself." The voice whispered. 

It was then that Harry sprang to attention, for out of the darkness, Draco Malfoy stepped calmly, his eyebrows raised as he took Harry in.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Harry hissed accusingly. 

Draco shrugged in an obnoxious, uncaring way, his hands stuck in his pockets. 

"I could ask the same thing of you, Potter. But I won't. I'm just here to do a job." He said quietly, moving his hand about and drawing something from his robe pocket. 

Harry prepared himself to dart away from whatever Draco had in his pocket, but he almost fell over in surprise as Draco's white hand simply drew out a small mirror. The fiery eye in Harry's ring let loose a fresh burst of light, causing Draco to jump, then frown as he eyed the ring. 

"It does me no harm, Draco. It is only a trinket. Not useful." The voice reassured the boy. Draco nodded slowly, his eyes still fixed on the ring, then took a step back.

Harry stared hard at the mirror. It was nothing but a simple pocket mirror, one that would usually be seen in a woman's purse. Draco had positioned it upright so that the mirror faced Harry, but there seemed to be nothing unusual about it. But it was certainly affecting him, for the silver around the black stone of his ring was quickly becoming a fiery red and his head was beginning to throb painfully. 

"Come closer to me, Harry Potter. Young Draco is good company, but I wish to speak to _you_. You intrigue me, Harry Potter. Come closer." The voice whispered enticingly.

Harry raised his eyebrows and cocked his head as he edged towards the pocket mirror. Nothing but his own eyes echoed in the glass. 

"What is this, Draco? Some kind of joke?" Harry whispered, condemnation clear in his hushed voice. Off to the side, Draco smirked and shrugged.

"Look down, Harry." 

Harry looked down at the mirror. Materializing inside the glass of the mirror, were two large, staring, blue eyes. 

"The eyes." Harry said in surprise. 

The eyes blinked demurely. 

"Of course! I've been trying to talk to you for _so_ long, Harry Potter. But you wouldn't listen to me." The mirror pouted. 

"I, I've never seen you." Harry stammered. 

"No, but you've _felt_ me surely. I've made great attempts to make contact with you." Harry frowned, but a gasp of relization came from him. 

"You! You were the one making my forehead burn, not Draco!" The eyes rolled in their invisible sockets. 

"Of course! Young Malfoy could do nothing like make your pathetic scar burn. He's not THAT powerful." The voice said cruelly. Harry scoffed and shook his head, noticing the look of anger that flashed over Draco's face. 

"Well, I wouldn't say _that_." Harry muttered. A look of confusion passed over Draco's face as he stared at him. 

"What're you playing at, Potter?" He hissed.

Harry shrugged and looked back to the mirror, the eyes now gazing at him fervently. 

"Well _I_ would. If he was truly a Malfoy, he would be capable of so much more. Anyhow, we are not here to speak about Malfoy. I wish to talk to you." The disembodied voice sighed dismally. "I have been SO lonely without anyone interesting to talk to." 

"So talk then." Harry said sharply, not sure of what to make of this mirror. He couldn't help but remember the words of Mister Weasley, "Don't trust something if you can't see where it keeps its brain." The eyes blinked as if surprised, then the voice continued. 

"Very well then. What do you want to talk about?" The voice asked. Harry shrugged nonchalantly. 

"Whatever. You wanted to talk. So talk." He said apathetically. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Draco raise an eyebrow. 

"I want to talk about _you_, Harry. You're such a famous person." 

Harry shrugged again, trying to keep the mirror distracted enough so he could figure out why it was here in Hogwarts. 

"I didn't do anything." He said quietly, hoping to get answers by being sullen and stubborn with this mirror. 

"Oh, but of COURSE you did. You lived through You-Know-Who's attack! And gained several good traits to carry with you. The ability to speak Parseltongue being one of them." The mirror said proudly.

"I'm not proud of that." Harry snapped, anger flaring and coloring his senses. The eyes blinked innocently. 

"Of course not. You don't truly see its purpose, nor its wonderful qualities. Once you are trained in its arts, then you will truly realize how lucky you are to have this wonderful gift of one of the four Founders." The voice said proudly. 

"You switched it around. It was a '_gift_' from Voldemort." Harry said sharply. 

"Oh, but Lord Voldemort is the heir of Slytherin. It is basically the same as receiving it from Salazar Slytherin himself." The voice insisted. 

"Look, in case you haven't noticed, I'm NOT in Slytherin." Harry said, his annoyance pushing into his tone. "I'd much rather give this so called '_gift_' to Malfoy or anyone else but myself. I'm not exactly proud of it, any more than I'm proud of this scar on my forehead!" Harry said angrily. 

"Now, now. No need to get upset. We won't speak of your gift anymore if you don't wish to." The voice paused before continuing, an alluring overpowering its voice. "But truly, Mister Potter, you are one of the more amazing students of Hogwarts, and completely deserving of my praise. You are a fabulous asset to the Quidditch team, an expert mind and an astute pupil." 

Harry scoffed loudly at that. 

"Obviously you haven't spoken with Professor Snape." 

Again the eyes blinked in surprise and for a moment they became narrow slits as they stared hard at Harry. 

"Harry, I could help you become as great a wizard as Godric Gryffindor, as Albus Dumbledore. With me by your side, advising you in all things, I could help you conquer your enemies and become a hero." The voice said smoothly. 

"There is no greater wizard than Professor Dumbledore. I can never be like him." Harry said. 

"Oh, don't be such a pessimist, boy!" The voice snapped suddenly. "You could be great! Your father could have been great! Your godfather too! But they ignored me! Ignored my help! And look where it got them! One dead, the other may as well be dead. Lupin too. They were all three fools. Only one of them had ANY brains at all." 

Harry inhaled sharply. 

"Peter Pettigrew?" He whispered in disbelief. In front of him, the mirror's eyes closed as it snorted condescendingly.

"Of course, boy! He is the only one of those boys who will ever amount to ANYTHING in the world, because he took my advice." The mirror hissed.

"Peter Pettigrew is only a pawn in Voldemort's game! He betrayed everyone!" Harry yelled angrily. 

"Peter Pettigrew _alone_ will survive the slaughter of wizards and witches because of his choice! He alone, besides those who are wise enough to follow him, will live through the holocaust that Lord Voldemort will inflict, is even now beginning to inflict. You hear? The noises above? The cries? It is only the beginning. Dumbledore isn't good enough to stop Lord Voldemort." At this the voice changed tones, taking on a tempting resonance. "You could stop this, Harry. You could. If you'd only listen to me and my advice. You and I together. You and I will stand up to Lord Voldemort and destroy him! Take his place, boy! Be known once more as The-Boy-Who-Lived!" The mirror said proudly.

"Who said I wanted that? I want to stop Voldemort, but," Harry faltered. 

"But WHAT, boy? What is there to debate about? I can help you become great! You can take over what Voldemort has started, take hold of his followers, inspire them to follow you! Hail, Lord Harry!" 

At these words, the voice changed dramatically, changing from the longing female voice to a powerful masculine voice. The mirror too, began to change. It grew, stretched, till it became a full sized, gilded mirror. The eyes inside remained the same, but merely became wider, their depths filled with power and fire. Harry took a step back, his own eyes wide at the sight. Apparently, Draco too, was surprised at the change, for his gray eyes widened and his mouth hung open slightly. Harry stared at the mirror, astonished at the change. It reminded him slightly, of the Mirror of Erised in its greatness and design. But it was not the Mirror of Erised. It was a Mirror of Darkness, the evil equivalent of the Mirror of Erised, designed for ill because of its master's desires.

"I, I don't want to take your offer." Harry said, his voice tentative. 

"Why on earth not, boy?" The mirror now boomed in its newly acquired voice. "I can give you great things, show you the wonders of your powers that you've barely even tapped into yet!" 

Harry shook his head violently. 

"That's just the thing! I don't WANT great things! I just want to be Harry Potter! I want to be normal! I don't want anything that you ask." Harry said passionately. The eyes in the mirror widened, then narrowed, fire brimming about the mirror's edge. 

"I am tired of hearing this! I have come to YOU, Harry Potter! To you and you alone! I have tried, tried very hard to bring wizards and witches alike to me! But now, I have triumphed in a small way! I now have a grip on your friends, the Weasley twins, I believe they're called." The mirror said, the eyes narrowing for emphasis.

"What?" Harry whispered. 

"When Lord Voldemort's power attacked them, it was only the beginning. It made them weaker, weaker so that they would come to me! Oh, they fought hard, yes, they did. But even now they are slipping away from this world and soon they will join me and join in the cleansing of the wizarding world!" The voice began to cackle loudly, leaving Harry staring in surprise and shock. 

"Don't do that to them!" Harry protested. 

"Foolish boy! I can destroy their lives in any minute I choose! They are in my grasp! They are the two who, who," The voice laughed loud and hard, the walls around Harry vibrating with the deep sound. "Courage and heroism should be left to cowards and fools, my boy. Let me assure you of that." The voice cackled. "Those _boys_ gave themselves up for the lives of others. I made their friends a tempting offer, one that they won't refuse, despite those boys' sacrifices! The sons of Arthur Weasley will join the forces of Lord Voldemort proudly, ignorantly, without knowing that their sacrifice was in vain!" 

Harry stepped forward angrily. 

"Let me take their place!" He yelled. The mirror chuckled in amusement and its eyes fixed on Harry mockingly.

"Oh, that's very good, boy. Very good. Are you looking to do the same thing they did? Give up your life for them when I will betray you too?" The voice asked slyly. 

"How can you do this?" Harry yelled. 

"Well it's quite easy. This is how I am. I reflect the wishes of my master. I have given you a choice, just as I gave Fred and George a choice. Just as I gave your father and Peter Pettigrew a choice. Now, choose!" The voice yelled. 

"I can't, and won't choose! You'll betray me either way!" Harry yelled angrily. The eyes narrowed and treachery burned in their depths. 

"If you do not, then I shall destroy the lives of your friends." The voice hissed. 

"None of my friends are here! You can't get to them." Harry scoffed. 

"That's what you think, boy. Behold!" The eyes in the mirror flashed brightly, and Harry slowly turned about.

There on the staircase, a dirty, but determined Ron stood on the final step, his hand firmly encircling Hermione's wrist. They were both dirty and dishevled and there was a great gash on Hermione's forehead. But they were there. Harry couldn't help but be glad to see them, and at the same time, wished they had never come.

"What are you doing here?" Harry hissed. 

"The ghost told us. Martin. He helped us open the door." Ron said, his eyes flicking over to Malfoy. "What did you do with Artemis, Malfoy?" Ron asked, his eyes narrowing as he stepped off the staircase, his hand never leaving Hermione's wrist. Draco's glare seemed to retract slightly, but the everlasting smirk remained on his lips and he said nothing. 

"Ah, Mister Weasley. It is truly an honor to see you." The voice said, its tone smooth and enticing. 

"Oh, _shut up_." Ron snapped as he and Hermione stepped up to Harry. The voice went silent, but its narrowed eyes watched Ron, Harry and Hermione carefully as they lined up to face both the mirror and Malfoy.

"You didn't answer my question, Malfoy." Ron snapped, glaring hard at Draco. Draco shrugged, once again saying nothing. 

"_I_ could give you the answer to that question, Mister Weasley, if you would but look into the mirror." The voice said quietly. 

Ron scoffed loudly. 

"Like hell. You really think I'm that stupid?" 

Instead of answering, the eyes vanished, showing Ron in its reflection. But this Ron was different. This Ron was tall, broadshouldered, his blue eyes twinkling in the dim light of the candles. Ron's mouth slid open slightly. He took a step towards the mirror, his fingers slowly losing their grip on Hermione's wrist. The Ron in the mirror beckoned to him, grinning broadly. 

"C'mere Ron! Let me out! I want be with you! That way we can be one person! C'mon!" The mirror Ron said happily. Ron took another step towards the mirror, doubt, but at the same time, fascination in his gaze. 

"Ron! Don't!" Hermione yelled frantically, her eyes widening as Ron released her wrist altogether. Ron's trance was broken and he turned back to look at Hermione. He frowned as his eyes fixed on her face. 

"C'mon, Ron! Whaddya waiting for? You can be great! You and me! We can be so much better than your brothers! You'll be the Weasley everyone talks about! The hunk! The jokester! The perfect student! The expert Quidditch player! You can be all that with me! C'mon!" The mirrored Ron enticed, waving its hands wildly at its human counterpart.

Ron finally turned back to the mirror, his gaze determined. 

"Yeah, and what about my friends and family?" He asked slowly. 

The mirror Ron frowned and shrugged. 

"Who cares? You'll be the best out of all of them." He said nonchalantly. A smirk fell across the real Ron's face as he stepped back, back towards Harry and Hermione. 

"Then I don't want to be with you, because you're nothing like the man I want to be." Ron said firmly. 

A flash of anger shot across the mirror as the mirrored Ron disappeared. The eyes returned a second later and their gaze was filled with deadly menace. 

"You are foolish." The mirror said quietly. 

"So what? I don't care. I'd rather have my friends and family instead of all those things." Ron countered.

"Bravery runs in your family, Weasley." The mirror said with a sneer. "As well as an unhealthy dose of compassion. Had your brothers possessed a little less of that poison, they perhaps wouldn't have been so foolish as to give their lives up for others." The voice chuckled. 

"Who did they give their lives up for?" Ron asked quietly, seeming unusually calm to Harry. 

"You wish to know? They decided to exchange their lives for two others. Rather appropriate, wouldn't you say?" Ron's eyes narrowed as the mirror's deep voice chuckled, sending the reverberations bouncing across the hall. "One lies down here in my grasp, the other, who knows? But she too, will come to me. We are good friends she and I." The voice said with satisfaction. 

"What are you talking about?" Harry cut in. 

"Haven't you guessed it yet, Harry?" Ron asked quietly, his eyes never leaving the mirror. Harry frowned and turned to Ron. On Ron's face was a look of simple understanding. Slowly, he turned to Harry, his expression grim. "There were a few people who felt the call of the mirror. You remember." 

Harry's look of confusion remained, until that is Artemis Thornshadow walked out of the shadows. Hermione let out a slight gasp as she saw her friend's face. Harry and Ron simply stared, Harry more with complete surprise, Ron with a look of weariness that usually never graced his face. He knew for whom his brothers had given themselves up for. 

Artemis' face was pale, her eyes, as they had been once before at the beginning of the school year, were now changed to inky blackness. Her pupils had taken over her irises and she stared blankly at her friends before her, seeing no one, recognizing no one. Draco gazed at her for only a moment, then turned away as if struck. Harry caught a glimpse of this act, but spent no time contemplating it as he was too taken up with what had come over the Durmstrang girl. 

"You see, Weasley? Your brothers' lives have been wasted for nothing, for this one, this one found my deals acceptable. For SHE, was giving her life up for the TWINS!" At this, the mirror let loose another wall-shaking howl. Artemis was not affected by this burst of noise. She did not wince, or even give expression that she had heard anything. She merely stood still, staring blankly forward. "She will do whatever I desire of her! And all because of Malfoy's insistance to have her join him in this plot. _So she would be safe_. " The mirror mocked with relish. Draco cast one look of intense hatred towards the mirror, his fists clenched at his side. "I told you, Malfoy, that I would accept you and _only_ you. But thank you for the offering though." The voice said cheerily. 

Draco looked away from the mirror, then his gaze clapped on Harry. There was a message in his eyes, one that Harry couldn't quite understand. But there was one thing that Harry _was_ sure of: Draco had not intended for this to happen. 

"What message are you trying to convey, my young accomplice?" The voice cut in sharply. Draco's intense eyes quickly turned to the mirror and found the wide eyes fixed on him. Draco turned away, ignoring the question. "Ah, I see. Your supposed friendship with this girl is much more than what you told me." The voice murmured quietly, almost to itself. Draco continued to stare at the floor, trying hard to not look at anything else. "Look at me, Draco." The voice whispered. Draco blinked hard but refused to turn. "LOOK AT ME!" The voice thundered. 

The force of it caused Draco to turn only so slightly towards the mirror, his eyebrow raised. The eyes that were fixed on him, began to dialate, then pulse madly. Almost instantly, Draco's eyes began to change, the gray of his eyes disappearing in the inky depths of his pupils. Harry glanced at Hermione, who clung to Ron's arm as she drew her breath in sharply. 

"Now, do as I desire. Convince Mister Potter that he WANTS to come to our side." The mirror commanded firmly. 

Draco grinned and withdrew his wand from his robes. As he did so, he began to edge toward Harry. Ron quickly drew his own wand leapt towards Malfoy with a strangled yell. But as he did so, Malfoy pointed his wand at him sharply and yelled, 

"_ABICIO!_" Ron flew back against the wall with a groan. He struggled to get up, but Draco yelled the curse once more, and Ron slumped back against the wall, motionless. 

"Harry, that's a curse far past our grade level!" Hermione whispered. 

"The mirror is feeding spells to him." Harry whispered in realization. Draco grinned evilly and twirled his wand between his fingers. 

"Whaddya say, Granger? Wanna have a go?" He hissed.

Hermione took a deep breath and stepped forward. Harry smiled slightly. Hermione would go to battle, and she would go with her wits about her. 

"_ABICIO!_" Draco yelled again. But Hermione dodged the curse, jumping aside as it came near her. Draco chuckled and shook his head. "Feisty aren't you? Well c'mon, Granger! Have at me!" Draco yelled. 

Hermione pursed her lips firmly as she and Draco circled each other. 

"_DEICIUS_!" Hermione yelled, twirling her wand against Draco's. But Draco too, stepped out of its destructive path. It went on like this for several minutes, Hermione and Draco both yelling curses at each other, both of them dodging the other's spell. But finally, fed up with the game, Draco frowned and yelled angrily, 

"_DEFICIAMUS_!" 

Taken by surprise, Hermione fell back by Ron with a groan. Draco smirked with satisfaction, twirled his wand in his fingers, then turned back to Harry. His looks were haunting to Harry, almost as frightening as the threatening eyes of the mirror, those eyes, those eyes that were so familiar to him. Draco's pale face was whiter than usual and a few strands of hair had slipped into his coal black eyes, which gleamed maliciously.

"Well, Potter, looks like all your help has run out. Looks like you'll have to fight me after all. Have at me. You _know_ you want to. You've wanted a piece of me since you came to Hogwarts. What are you waiting for?" Draco asked, as he and Harry began to circle each other. 

"I don't want to fight you, Draco." Harry said firmly, refusing to draw his wand as he and Draco circled each other. Draco raised his eyebrows and scoffed loudly. 

"No? Always have to be the hero don't you, Potter? You know, even though you insist that you don't want to be The-Boy-Who-Lived, you're certainly putting on enough heroics to earn yourself the title. Look at you, refusing to draw your wand so that I'll strike you down while you're weaponless! You think I'll fall for that?" Draco snapped

"You can take me out at any time you want, but I won't fight you. You're not in your right mind." Harry said firmly. 

"You're so FULL of it, Potter." Draco hissed. "Do you think that I've waited this long to see what you're made of, only to let you back out now? _Come on_! You know that you want a good chunk out of me! I just knocked out your friends, will probably help kill them later! I helped take out Fred and George, brought the mirror safely into Hogwarts! You have so much to HATE me for! So c'mon and quit _stalling_!" Draco yelled angrily. 

"I won't do it, Draco." Harry said, his gaze never leaving Draco's face, now horribly distorted in his anger. 

"This is the point of no return, Potter." Draco said quietly, his black eyes never leaving Harry's face, his lips frozen in a disdainful curl. Harry knew for sure, Draco would not let him go without fighting him. That was the only way to get out. To fight. "These games we've played, they're over. We're past all 'ifs' and 'whens' and 'maybe's'. Either way, the fires will burn us both. You and I, we'll be done in, in the end. I, perhaps may live longer than you because I'm smarter. You may survive long enough to lead a resistance against this evil, but you won't survive. Not with a couple renegade Weasleys and a Mudblood behind you. You won't last long." Draco lowered his wand, walking slowly and deliberately towards Harry till they were only a few feet apart. "This is the point of no return, Potter. No backward glances." Harry looked down as Draco's hand snaked into Harry's pocket and withdrew his wand. He held it between his fingers a moment, then shoved it into Harry's hand, looking into his face with those frightening, dead eyes. "Give it all you've got." Draco whispered, his smirk reappearing on his pale face. Harry stared hard at his wand, then at Draco as he stepped the proper paces away from him.

He had only fought with Draco once, and that had been enough. It was during that fight that he had revealed to the others in the school his ability to speak Parseltongue. But this was different. That duel had been a practice, a learning tool. This duel was a matter of life and death. Draco flourished his wand dramatically, preparing himself. Harry simply raised his wand in the air without elegance, trying to focus on the fight ahead. Draco shook his head, then flourished his wand angrily. 

"_SEIUNGUS_!!" Draco yelled loudly. 

Harry winced as his wand burned red hot in his hand, but he held onto it as the magic attempted to draw it away from him. 

"_RECIDO_!!" Harry screamed. Instantly the burning and drawing away of his wand ceased as Draco flew backwards. But the Slytherin did not let loose the hold on his wand. 

"_INCENDAMUS_!!" Draco yelled from the floor, cracking his wand violently in the air towards Harry. 

Harry screamed loudly as his wand seemed to become alight with a demonic fire. But he would not let go of his wand, no matter how much it burned him. He _couldn't_. His hands began to boil outwardly, but Harry refused to let go. Harry moaned, Draco stood, watching with interest and anticipation. Then Draco pointed his arm straight, the wand pointing directly at Harry. 

"_CAECITAS_!!" Draco yelled grimly. 

Harry's yells grew louder as his world became black. The fire seemed to have spread to his eyes. He was _blind_. He stumbled about, his hands burning fiercely, his eyes burning with black fire. Every pore of him seemed to be on fire. He could not see, he could not feel. 

He could see his parents. They were standing there in front of him, waiting for him. But they didn't look happy to see him. He rushed towards them, but they were pushing him away. For one moment, Harry could see the things around him. He watched as Draco dropped his wand to his side and stared at Harry as he stumbled about, then fell to the ground. 

"_Vanesco_!" Draco whispered half-heartedly, pointing his wand at Harry. Instantly, the fire and blindness disappeared, but the ache in his limbs still remained. Harry stared at Draco from the floor, surprise evident in his features. Draco merely stared down at him, the glint in his ebony eyes unmistakeable. Harry groped on the floor, feeling the agonizing pains in his body slowly begin conquering him. 

"Now Harry, are you more open to our suggestions?" The mirror asked smoothly. Harry coughed hard, but did not move from the floor. Draco stared at him, waiting for his affirmation. 

"Never." Harry whispered. Draco's eyebrows shot up quickly, then his eyes narrowed as he rolled them and stepped over to the fallen Harry, preparing to finish him off. Harry breathed deeply, knowing what he had to do, but hating the fact that he had to do it. He prayed that Rhiannon would forgive him, then rolled over, his wand out and pointing directly at Draco. 

"_CRUCIO_!!" Harry screamed. 

A look of realization passed over Draco's jet black eyes, but too late to counter the curse. He fell to the ground screaming, his body wracked in agonizing pain. Harry slowly staggered to his feet as he watched his enemy writhe and scream before him in pain. His screams vibrated wildly across the walls as the mirror's laughter had done before, but this was much more frightening. Harry winced as he watched the boy scream and cry, his arms flailing wildly. Just then, he thought of George and Fred, of their pain, then of Draco's resentful glance as the mirror brought forth Artemis. He thought of Rhiannon, of her lessons, of the spider that he himself had tortured. He had not heard its screams then, but it surely had been screaming. Draco Malfoy did not deserve to die this way. No human being, no matter how evil, deserved to die in this way, in complete darkness and pain. He closed his eyes slowly, extended his wand toward Draco, then whispered, 

"_Desisto_!" 

Draco immediately became still, his pupils receding slowly back to their normal size. Draco's wide gray eyes stared wonderingly at Harry from the floor, though he still winced in pain. 

"Well fought, young one. Well fought. You will be a great asset. Of course your _compassion_ will be a problem, but it's nothing I can't handle." The mirror said approvingly. 

Harry shook his head, scoffed and turned towards the mirror angrily. 

"You don't listen very well do you? I told you, NO. And now I'm going to leave with my friends." Harry said, turning his back on the mirror, moving towards Ron and Hermione's fallen figures, which were now stirring slightly. 

"Without destroying me?! You're going to let an agent of evil such as myself waltz away freely?! Why thank you for making this so easy." The mirror called sarcastically after him. Harry stood still, then turned back to the mirror, whose eyes stared at him knowingly. "Destroy him." The mirror whispered. 

Harry looked down at Draco, but he remained stationary on the floor, his breathing labored. Harry stared at him though, as the Slytherin's gray eyes widened and he jerked his head towards something behind him. Harry slowly raised his head and faced the person Draco had indicated. Artemis stepped forward, her wand drawn, her black eyes empty, void of emotion.

Harry took a step backwards. 

"Artemis," He whispered desperately, although he knew already: she was gone. 

Artemis showed no signs of recognition. She merely raised her wand, prepared to kill without any regrets. Harry started to stagger away from her, but he never felt the blow of pain from her wand. Instead, he glanced behind him and stared at her look of mild surprise as her wand was knocked from her hand by a white bolt of lightening. The girl raised her head sharply and Harry and Draco both looked towards the doorway. 

Bill and Rhiannon were running down the stairs, their wands drawn protectively as they eyed the mirror, Harry and Draco with wild glances. The voice chuckled and the eyes fixed on the two. 

"Welcome to my lair, my old friends. We meet again at last." 

Bill cast a wary glance at the mirror, then stepped off the stairs with Rhiannon. Rhiannon on the other hand ignored it and stepped close to Harry. 

"Are you alright?" She whispered. Before Harry could answer, the mirror interrupted. 

"He is quite alright, save for the injuries inflicted by my young accomplice. But tell me, Professor Flutterae, how would you like to take a look into my depths, just as you did that day in the Forbidden Forest?" The mirror asked enticingly.

Bill looked at Rhiannon sharply. Rhiannon had drawn herself up quickly, her eyes fixed on the mirror. 

"Ah yes, and Bill Weasley! We meet again, although it is not in your native climate of Egypt. But here, you are truly home, are you not?" Bill merely glared, instead glancing at his brother, who struggled to get to his feet in an obscure corner of the room. As the mirror spoke, Ron and Hermione got to their feet, wincing, and moved to step beside Harry. "You don't answer? Perhaps Rhiannon, you could step inside my shadows once more. You and I, together. We can conquer those things that you wish to conquer. Perfect the things you wished to perfect. Perhaps even _protect_ the things you wish to protect." The mirror said quietly. 

"Are you ready to be destroyed then? For it is you that I wish to conquer." Rhiannon snapped, her blue eyes blazing. 

As Harry stared at her, he could not help but be bothered by the look in her eyes. Those eyes. He stared at her, then at the mirror. An identical blue, identical wideness. Both sets of eyes, were the same, mirrored in the face and the mirror. 

"Touchy, touchy, my dear. You were not so willing to destroy me in the forest, nor any other time we corresponded. Oh, I admit, you're a good hider, but I knew we'd meet again. After all, it is truly fate for the created to meet its maker once in a while." The mirror hissed.

Harry stared in horror at Rhiannon as she drew herself up proudly, ignoring the looks of her students, as well as the aghast gaze of Bill. 

"Ah, that comes as a surprise to you, young Potter? Why on earth should it?" The mirror asked innocently. Harry stared at Rhiannon's firmly raised face, then turned to the mmiror. 

"You said that my father and Sirius and Remus and Peter," Harry stuttered. 

"Yes, they had the choice." The mirror answered.

"But they were many years before her time," Harry continued before the mirror cut in sharply.

"You didn't think that your darling Professor worked alone on this project, did you? There were others before her, but it was she who completely brought the concept into being, materialized me, _improved_ me so to speak." Harry simply stared at the mirror, unable to comprehend this new change of events. "Before your father died, a few days before, in fact, he was given a choice. He could live and join me and my Master, or he could die and sacrifice himself and his wife. He chose to ignore me, though I threatened destroying his friend Sirius. You see, Harry, like you, your father had an unhealthy amount of heroism, but he was not stupid enough to fall for that ploy. So he died for you. He knew that it would happen, yet he did not change the future. Your friend Sirius was the same. I gave him a choice. But," The mirror's eyes blazed angrily. "He was warned. Warned by one of my creators. He chose death. Not long after, he was arrested for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and taken to Azkaban. But by some means, he has escaped." The mirror said, his voice gaining a sharp edge. Harry managed a slight smile, but wiped it clean from his face before the mirror could see it.

"But no matter, it will only take a little more time." The mirror said softly as if comforting itself. "But I would have you know, Potter, that the person who warned Black, did not escape unpunished. Only recently, Melinda Montgomery has succumbed to my Master's wrath." Harry seethed inwardly, clearly able to picture the smirk that would be resting on the mirror's face, if only it had lips. "So you see,_ Potter_, those who oppose my Master, do not go unpunished." There was a moment of silence before the mirror spoke again, and when it did, its sarcastic and vengeful tone was greater than ever. "Then there was Lupin. He managed to evade me several times after meeting me, though he still chose death. Pettigrew is the only one who had it going for him, so to speak. He is still alive, your father is dead. Remus and Sirius are the only ones left and will soon be done away with. All because of one simple choice." The eyes of the mirror glanced at Rhiannon. "I am a wonderful creation aren't I, _my Maker_?" The mirror hissed. 

Rhiannon flinched, but stood her ground. The eyes darted once more to Harry's face. "You see Harry, that is why my eyes look so familiar to you. They are my maker's eyes! She created me after the mirror of Merlin, meaning for it to be an asset to the world of men. But as you can see," The mirror snickered. "I fell into the wrong hands, and everything has turned against her. She will pay for my creation, I can assure you, for it was _she_ also, whom the twins gave their lives for. Now she shall lose them, you, and Bill all at the same time." The mirror sniggered, then turned it's blazing eyes towards Rhiannon, whose gaze was fixed on it. "You did not count on this did you, Creator? Did not even dream that I would nearly take you and your _dear_, _old_ friend, did you? You did not think you could be deceived by your own creation! Had your old Professor not saved you from me in the Forbidden Forest, you would be with me even now. Had your Bill not had the sense to apparate when faced with me in Egypt, he too would be with me. But now," The mirror paused for effect. "Now you shall all die, or join me and my Master." The mirror hissed. 

"I don't understand! Why do you need to have Professor Flutterae and Bill! To you, they're nothing! Why try to get at them?" Harry yelled, his anger pouring out of him in a torrent.

"Because, young Potter, my Master desires helpers! If he cannot recruit them himself, he must convince them in some other way. Rhiannon Flutterae would be an asset to my Lord's plans, as would Bill Weasley. When my Lord got word that Rhiannon would be coming to Hogwarts as a teacher, he made sure that his loyal servant Lucius Malfoy, retrieved the mirror from his hidden troves and gave it to his son to handle. So you see, Harry, the Dark Lord _can_ walk among his people, without being noticed." The mirror said quietly.

"But why George, why Martin?" Harry yelled.

"Because, _boy_, they were all _assets_! Assets! Each one of them that was called had a specific trait that my Lord admired. Each one had a certain skill. I do not feel obligated to explain the workings of my Lord to you. Instead," A cruel gleam entered the eyes as they stared fixedly at Harry. "You can ask my Lord when you are in service to him." 

"Never!" Harry screamed, his eyes narrowed, his fingernails biting into the burned palms of his hands, though it pained him.

"Well, boy, that is sad, but you," The mirror suddenly ceased to speak as a slight popping noise echoed about the room. Harry too heard it, and he glanced around the room.

Harry watched Rhiannon as she fidgeted slightly, her hands behind her back. The eyes glanced at her sharply as an object fell on the floor. Harry glanced at it. It was a cork, slightly tinged with a blue liquid. 

"Stop her!" The mirror bellowed angrily. Artemis quickly dove to the floor, picking up her wand and waving it at Rhiannon. 

"_EXPELLIARMUS!_" She yelled. 

Rhiannon winced as the object she held in her hand slipped from her fingers. A vial, filled to the brim with blue liquid, flew to the floor, shattering into pieces, the bricks of the floor where the potion touched, disintegrating immediately. 

"Keep back everyone!" Rhiannon called out sharply. Everyone stepped back, but Hermione gasped as a droplet fell on her sleeve. A hole was burned completely through the sleeve. Hermione stared wide-eyed at Harry and Ron. 

"_Consumus_ potion." She whispered breathlessly.

Artemis stood straight, her arm falling to her side. 

"Well done, young one." The mirror praised as Artemis stepped back towards it. "You thought you could conquer me, Creator? I am far too smart for that! You should not have created me with such intelligence! But I think that you are sensing that, 'eh?" The mirror sneered. Rhiannon scoffed and drew herself up. 

"The only reason your intelligence is at such a great level, is because of the hold your Master has on you." Rhiannon countered. 

"That is no matter. No matter at all. My Master has just given me an order." The mirror paused, closing its wide eyes. The eyes then twisted on each other till they disappeared completely. There standing in the mirror, was Voldemort. 

His red, burning eyes stared at them in satisfaction, stared into their firm, determined faces. "Bravery." He croaked out, his pasty white skin moving shallowly as he spoke. "Bravery is the bane of all existance. It interferes with the simplest plans. But this time, I have my enemy to thank for my victory." At this, Voldemort nodded his white face towards Rhiannon, a leer spreading over his ugly mouth. "I thank you Rhiannon, teacher of the Dark Arts. Had you created this contraption willingly for my specific purpose, there would be a fabulous place beside me and a reward coming to you. But as you created it for good," Voldemort scoffed loudly. "Then I have my servant Lucius Malfoy to thank for retrieving it for me, and to his son for bringing it right into Hogwarts, directly under Dumbledore's very nose! For this, I thank you!" Voldemort cackled loudly.

"And even young Potter! You too have failed, felt the evil, but did nothing about it! Hesitation is a WONDERFUL thing isn't it, Potter?" Voldemort sneered. Harry said nothing, but stepped closer to Ron and straightened. "This shall be a day long remembered." Voldemort said slowly, tasting the words with pleasure as they emerged from his foul mouth. "This day shall see the entrance of two of Arthur Weasley's sons into my order and the destruction of two more of his sons, the rebel Rhiannon Flutterae, a filthy Mudblood and my wonderful nemesis who so kindly brought me back into existence, HARRY POTTER!" With that, Voldemort let out a large, vibrant cackle, one that seemed would bring the shaky walls of Hogwarts down.

"But first, before I dispose of you, I will tell you of what is occurring on the surface. There are wizards and witches dying everywhere. Some turning to my side, others being captured for information to be taken from them, others simply refusing, accepting their deaths with, _dignity_." Voldemort said mockingly. "Your fabulous Dumbledore couldn't stop me! NONE CAN STOP LORD VOLDEMORT! RULER OF ALL!" He crowed. 

"NO!" Voldemort stopped mid-laugh and looked down sharply. Artemis stood before the mirror, her hands on her hips, her eyes glowing with their familiar blue-gray color, blazing fiercely. 

"I will not be a pawn! Nor will I allow you to hurt my friends!" She yelled angrily.

"So, you too wish to stand up to me. We can remedy this easily. Come to my side girl, or your twins will die." Voldemort hissed. Artemis winced, but stood firm. 

"Even if they do die, I won't let their memory die out by letting you kill their brothers and friends." Artemis raged. Voldemort's sallow face drew back against the bones of his face as he stared at the girl in front of him. 

"Very well then." Voldemort's lips drew back cruelly and a hint of fear came into Artemis' face as she stared at the Dark Lord. Then Voldemort let out a shrill shriek. 

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!_" The blast never hit her. Draco threw himself on top of her, knocking her out of the way. When he rolled over and yelled a curse at the image of Voldemort, which bounced off harmlessly. Voldemort let out a roar of anger. 

"You think you can rebel against _me_, boy?!" He screamed. Draco did nothing, but merely stood still, glowering at the mirror. "YOU CARE FOR HER?!" The Dark Lord shrieked. "HOW CAN YOU CARE FOR HER?! YOU WILL ALLOW HER TO DESTROY YOUR ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER? YOU WILL DO THIS! YOU CANNOT DENY IT!" He yelled. Draco stood still, never moving his eyes away from the Dark Lord. Voldemort's lips drew back from his black mouth and purple tongue and his eyes narrowed to mere slits. "Then you shall die with her." He hissed angrily. But before any words could come out of his mouth, he started as the mirror shook violently, a powerful curse crashing against it. 

Voldemort stared, then began to laugh loudly as the figure of Severus Snape pushed Harry and Ron out of the way. His pale face was determined, his lips pursed, his eyes narrowed, his wand drawn. "Severus! How good to see you! You are just in time to be destroyed for your acts of treachery." Voldemort hissed. 

Snape pursed his lips together grimly and shook his sheet of greasy hair from his eyes as he stepped in front of the mirror with determination. 

"I'm afraid you won't have time to perform any little acts of heroism, Severus. This is the end." Voldemort said with a sneer. 

"Really? Then catch this!" With a snap of his wrist, Snape threw a blue colored vial, identical to the one that Rhiannon had lost towards the mirror. Amazingly, the vial seemed to blend into the mirror as it sailed towards it, the Dark Lord catching it easily in his hand. Snape stared in horror as Voldemort grasped the vial. Voldemort fingered it the with a white finger, a slight smile on his death's head face. 

"Thank you for warning me, Severus. Once again, you have failed me. But this time, you shall pay for it. _CRUCIO!_" 

Snape fell to the floor with a scream of pain, his arms and legs flying out of control, extreme pain wracking his body. Hermione cried out and buried her face into Ron's chest. Ron stared in horror as Snape screamed loudly as the pain became more intense with every passing second. 

"SEVERUS!" Rhiannon screamed, rushing towards him, her wand drawn. But Voldemort's hand flew outward, flinging her back against the wall. Bill rushed to her, holding her up as she slumped in his arms. Then a gleam entered Voldemort's red eyes as he stared at the group around him. 

"_CRUCIO!!_" He yelled evilly. The bolt of lightening darted towards them as one single stalk, ready to spread out when it hit its first victim. Harry pulled out his wand, already knowing that it was too late, but ready to feel the pain of the Dark Lord's curse.

Suddenly, Artemis' scream sounded over the others, as Draco Malfoy flung himself completely into the lightening, his body absorbing the shock. His body seemed to be illuminated with a horrible white fire, his blonde hair flying upwards. He fell to the ground, jolting, his mouth opening and closing with invisible screams as the pain surged through his body. Voldemort threw his hands in the air with a high pitched laugh at the sight of his victims. Harry stared hard at the Dark Lord, at the vial he held in his veined hands. Unfortunately, Voldemort caught his thoughtful look and he glared at him. 

"You want this, boy, don't you? You will never see it again!" Voldemort shrieked, throwing it from him. The vial flew through the mirror, flew towards the back of the room, at the hard brick wall. Harry felt like he was moving in slow motion as he ran as hard as he could towards the wall. Voldemort took no notice of him, his mind completely taken up with the people writhing before him.

Harry ran, ran to the wall, flung his hand up in the air, grasped for the escaping vial. The vial knicked against the wall as Harry caught it with one hand. It burned his scarred fingers, but he held on as best he could. Then, it slipped, slid. It was falling. Falling from his fingers. Harry blinked rapidly and fell to the floor, catching the vial before it hit the hard surface. Harry cast his black hair from his eyes, his green eyes flashing fiercely as he glanced at the laughing Voldemort. He stood slowly, uncorking the bottle and tossing the cork to the floor as he walked slowly towards the mirror. He slowly hid it behind his back and stood in front of Voldemort. The Dark Lord stared at him. Harry was only a mere two feet away from the mirror, from Voldemort. 

"What do you have behind your back, boy?" The Dark Lord whispered suddenly, as he saw Harry creeping up to the mirror. Harry cocked his eyebrow. 

"You want to know? Well, HERE!" Harry yelled as he tossed a large amount of the potion on the mirror. Part of the gilt frame and the mirror itself, melted into oblivion. 

Voldemort stared at it in horror, then screamed at Harry. 

"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?" He shrieked. Harry smiled grimly as he prepared to throw more of the potion upon the mirror. 

"You gave it to me! THIS IS FOR MARTIN AND CEDRIC!" He yelled, throwing more of the potion upon the mirror. Slowly the mirror dissolved, Voldemort's screams mingling with those of Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy as Harry screamed out the names of the people he was avenging. 

"THIS IS FOR BERTHA JORKINS!"  


"THIS IS FOR SIRIUS!"

"THIS IS FOR REMUS!"

"THIS IS FOR ALL THE WITCHES AND WIZARDS YOU'VE KILLED TODAY!"

"THIS IS FOR MY FATHER AND MY MOTHER!"

Harry cried out loudly as he threw the vial and the remaining potion at the remnants of the mirror. Voldemort shrieked loudly as the mirror erupted in a fiery explosion that threw Harry and the others backwards. He lay on the ground, his eyes closed, until complete silence reigned over the basement hall. Slowly, he opened his eyes. 

All was silent. Snape and Draco lay still on the ground, their breathing emerging in short gasps, the Dark Lord's power over them broken. Ron rushed to Harry from his spot on the ground, where he'd been tossed by the explosion. 

"You okay, Harry?" He whispered breathlessly. Harry nodded slowly and pushed himself up on his hands. Ron stared at him in horror. "Bloody hell, Harry! Look at your hands!" He said in shock. Harry glanced down at his hands, noticing for the first time their black appearance. They were charred and crusty, cracked and bleeding on the tops of his hands. Harry merely shook his head. 

He smiled slightly as he looked at the black ring, still resting on his ring finger. The eye had disappeared, the black surface now clear and empty. He slipped it off his finger and smiled at the charred black circle of the flesh of his finger that remained where the ring had been. He smiled and slipped it back slowly and tentatively on his finger. 

He finally stood, Ron and Hermione standing with him. On the ground, Snape lay still, his dark eyes wide open, staring up at the ceiling. Draco's eyes were closed, but he breathed more evenly, his hand resting in the hand of Artemis as she knelt beside him. Harry glanced back at Rhiannon and Bill who lay in each other's arms, crying with relief. 

"Harry." Harry turned wearily back to Artemis. Her other hand rested tenderly on Draco's head, gleaming tear-drops resting at the corners of her blue-gray eyes. "It's over." She whispered. 

Harry smiled and nodded slowly. 

"For now." He answered.

************************************************************************

__

****

Author's Note: AAAAHHHHH!!!! There we are! Lots of stuff was answered, yes? :-) And some stuff that wasn't. :-) But don't worry, this is FAR from the end. Harry and the others still have to face Voldemort and his army. Who does he have on his side? You'll hafta wait and see! Thank you guys for being SO patient!!! You all are amazing! Thanks to all my new fans too! It's always so cool to hear how much you guys enjoy the story! Hey! I saw Two Towers recently!!! AAAHHH!! That film ROCKS so bad! I LOVED it! How 'bout you guys? Didja see it? Whadja think? Luv ya and thanks for waiting so long!!

Melissa: Thank you! I'm really glad you think it's a deadly story! That makes me happy that you think so! I hope you can find this again so you can see what happens! HP tends to get a bit crowded at times. ;-) 

****

i don't have 1: Hey! Sorry for being so late! I read your most recent review when ff.net sent it to me, and I was like, "GAAAAHHHHH!!! STUPID COMPUTER!! LET ME ON!!!" :-) So I hope this was worth the wait. *prays* I REALLY hope it was worth the wait. :-) Thanks so muchfor your comments! I'm really glad you like the story and am truly flattered! Don't worry, I've no intention of dropping this story! I think I'd be slaughtered by my ticked off fans. ;-) I don't think Snape is completely evil either. I mean, yeah, he's MEAN, but evil? Naw, not truly. As for Sirius and Remus, **THEY DO MAKE AN APPEARANCE BEFORE THE END OF THE STORY**. Cool, huh? They will be here, not as prominently as they will be in the sequel to this fic, which I'm writing, but they will be in it. I hope you are able to find this! :-) Thanks so much for reviewing!

****

leaf: HERE I AM!!! *grins* Thanks for being so faithful and perserverant! ;-) Great to hear from you! Thanks so much for reviewing! I really appreciate it! *grins* Hope you're happy to see the update! I hope that my advice works for your formatting problems! Like I said, we had Notepad once, but, well.......that was a while ago. *grins* I did read your updates! Well, I did before ff.net blew up on me, but what I read was really good! Keep it up! I'll review as soon as I'm able. Thanks for reviewing!

****

Sara Minks: Hey! Nice to hear from you! *snickers* Yeah, that was a pretty evil cliffy, wasn' it? One of my worst. Hope this one wasn't so bad for you guys. At least it wasn't nearly so horrible as the last one. :-) Thanks for reviewing!

****

Gray Fox: Doncha just LOVE snow days? So wonderful, so releasing. No school, of course, besides that pile of homework you STILL haven't done. :-) I love 'em! I was glad you were able to read my story for your snow day! :-) I really appreciated it! I know, terrible cliffy. But I hope this chappy was worth the wait! *grins* Thanks for your review!

****

Silver Elf: Well, I have somewhat of an excuse for my relatively *quick* updates. This story is done, so all I have to do is load the chapter, tweak it a bit, make sure there's no spelling errors or anything, then post. I really admire you guys who can write the story and post the story as you go. I tried it once and about lost my mind! :-) *hides* Terrible cliffy, yes? But at least, well, I hope, this makes up for the bad ending! :-) Yes, it seems that all house barriers are broken when it comes to destruction of the place they all hold dear. Except for Draco and Harry. :-) "You're going down Draco." *grins* I agree, somewhat. *chuckles* Hopefully, he somewhat has avoided your wrath. Artemis as well. :-) Thank you SO much for your praise! I really appreciate it so much! It gives me such a thrill to hear you guys say that you're so into the story. It's the main reason that I write! Thank you!!

****

Kora: Hey! Huh, I never thought of the whomping willow as an ent. But you're right, it is somewhat similar, save that it can't move around and kick Saruman's white, shiny, sorcerer butt. ;-) I do know how much crap you can get into just by searching for Merlin. *shudders* Occult crap, ick. Freaky stuff. I totally know what you mean about Tolkien. He did create epic fantasy. HP is good fantasy, but LOTR is *great* fantasy. You know? I'm not offended or anything by your, what would be called by HP teenies as, "TRAITOROUS, OFFENDING, JUST, JUST, JUST, just PLAIN STUPID, COMMENTS." *grin* I understand. It's all good. I dunno where you've heard of two people joined as one.......I can't even remember and now it's irking at my mind. THANKS! :-) Yeah, formatting changed quite a while ago, not sure when. Do you want me to help you with it? I'll be glad to. I was certainly confuzzled when I was trying to do it the first time. Just say the word. *grins* I'm not gonna post all of it yet, *poke, poke*, because I wanna spread it out *poke, poke*, so I can drag it out for a while, partially so I can buy more time while writing the sequel, and partially to keep the interest kindled. Hopefully the fifth book will be out by then. *shakes head* But probably not, there isn't much left of this one. Thanks for reviewing!

****

Balizabeth: GAAAHHHH!! I HATE it when it deletes long reviews! That has happened to me TOO many times to count. Grrrr, makes me wanna kill somethin'. Thanks for the review! It meant that much more to me! WOW!! Thank you so much for the comparison between my writing and Joss Whedon's. I have seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer several times, not religiously, but I'm still drawn too it, by HEY, the amazing writing! Thank you so much! That means so much to me! Wow! Thanks! No, no! Your interpretation of Martin doesn't sound weird! It's right on actually, and there's more under the surface, stuff that might be revealed later. Ha! Ha! I made you shudder! You and me both! That Fred/George scene is just freaky. I hope you weren't too disappointed with this chappy, due to the wait! :-) I did read your poem. But as you read above, my schedule has been, well, less than accepting to replying and stuff. But it was amazing! Very good! I will try to get on today and send you my thoughts and stuff on it! Keep up the great work! You rock!

****

Quiet One: Hey! How are ya? Good I hope! Sorry for the wait! Yeesh, what a crazy holiday I had. Immense cliffy, yes. Sad, I know. :-) And you can have a go at my computer to vent your anger of the wait. Go ahead. *stands back so Quiet One can kick the computer* There! Hope that helped! Oh yeah! Chamber of Secrets was SO much better than Sorcerer's Stone. I mean, I liked the first one, but this one had much more plot and character development. You know? And also it was funnier. Ron, *sigh* I love him! He's hysterical! I love Rupert Grint. Such great facial expressions. Yeah, when the movie burns, GGGAAAHHHHHH!!! I hate it! Thank goodness it didn't do that when I saw Two Towers. *shudders at the thought of it* Oh yes, your comments are appreciated! Very much so! Thank you so much! You're so helpful! *munches* Thanks for the cookie! *grins* Thanks so much for your support!!

****

Torrential Zephyr: Hey! Sorry for the wait. I'm probably gonna apologize to every single bloody reviewer on here before I'm done! :-) *grins* I love snow too! Unfortunately, we haven't have very much. *sighs* Just rain. But rain's not bad, but.......it does get a little old. *wink* *grins* You liked the Martin twist, 'eh? Good, because I enjoyed writing him. I enjoyed merely mentioning him at the beginning, with the knowledge that he would return and play a crucial part in the rest of the plot! '**_"But otherwise, he's been trying to get rid of powerful witches and wizards all over, and some that are just in the way. I'm proof of that." Martin said with a sad smile.'  
_**Keep that sentence in mind, it'll be useful later, but I better watch out. You're so intuitive that you'll figure out the next plot for the second story before it's done! ;-) Thank you so much! I actually hoping that my writing technique getting somewhat better and I was hoping that it would show. Glad it does and that you're happy with it! I like it when everything's clear and all. Helps with the story. ;-) You know what? You're probably the most intuitive of my reviewers. I read your reviews and most of the time I'm shaking my head and smiling with surprise. You just blow me away. You know your Harry Potter info AND your JKR quotes. The fact that you quoted her about the ghosts situation is proof of it. Hold onto your initial thoughts that come to you. They're very good and they are *very* close to future plot developments. I don't wanna say much more, otherwise I'll start spilling the future plots! :-) *shudder* The Fred/George scene freaked me out so bad when I was writing it. Mainly, because I'd just seen the movie again and so I had the twins' voices in my subconscious. When I started writing that scene, their voices popped into my mind and started saying the words..........as one. *shudder* THAT was scary. Glad you liked it! *grins* You do that! Go take a poll and see who was officially freaked out! :-0 There, that was my freaking out face. :-) Yeah, I think I'd be concerned if my story wasn't giving my goosebumps. That would show that I really don't care about the characters or the plot. Not cool. *passes Torrential Zephyr a N.S.O.F.T. badge and shakes hand* Welcome to N.S.O.F.T.! I'm president, you're vice president! Anyone else wanna join?! :-) If not, we'll talk to the characters all by our lonesome! How was your Christmast and New Year? Good I hope! Mine was nice. Nice and quiet, well, except for the maniac trip at the end. You're so welcome for the writing! I hope this chapter was worth the immense wait! Thank you so much for your reviews and thoughts! They mean so much to me! Later!

****

ElVeNdEsTiNy: Hey dear! Thanks so much for your review! Glad you liked it! I hope this wasn't too much of a wait. You probably read my thing at the beginning. *shakes head* Crazy, crazy. But anyway, how were your holidays? Good, I hope! :-) How did I like Two Towers?.......................I LOVED IT!! *sigh* It was SO good! Quite disappointed that, well, *psst, have you read the books? I can't remember* Well, I don't wanna spoil future events if you haven't, so I'll just say, I was disappointed in the ending, that they didn't keep it the same as the ending in the book, but then again, it may have pushed them over the limit for time or something. Dunno. But otherwise I liked it! YEAH! ELVES IN HELM'S DEEP!! YAY! Totally rockin'. And it makes more sense when they...........eep. I hate it when I don't know if other people have read the books or not. I'm pretty sure you have, but still. :-) I still loved it! It rocked my socks. Gollum kicked butt, Frodo was pleasurably freaky, Sam was as loyal as ever and also humorous * "Po-ta-toes!"* *chuckle* I love Sam. Anyway, Aragorn kicked butt, Gandalf kicked even more butt as he booted that Balrog right back to the Shadow where he came from, Eomer was cool, Faramir was freaky but what was even more freaky was how much he looked like Sean Bean (Boromir). I mean, I know that the character is his brother, but MAN, do they look alike! Gimli was funny, Eowyn rocked, Arwen........I'm not gonna comment. I'm not too fond of screen Arwen. Her little kissy-kissy scenes with Aragorn in this one were a *little* much, but still, what the heck. Legolas kicked orc, Uruk-hai, every ugly little creature in LOTR butt. *sigh* I LOVE Legolas. He is so awesome. *sigh* Oooookaaaaayyyy, if I don't stop now, I'll never stop blathering about him. :-) Well, I hope you liked the movie! What did you think? Tell me if you read the books so I won't keep beating my poor little brain as to whether you have or not. *grins* Thanks for reviewing! Later!

****

Hollie: AAAAHHHHH!!! HOLLIE, LUV! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?? *gives Hollie a BIG, MONSTROUS, GARGANTUAN hug* Sorry, I haven't been able to review your stories! The Fire Hawk chappy kicks butt and so does your Newsies one! I am so pleased that you were able to get into that genre! I love the movie, don't you? Thanks for all the reviews for mine too! Those were the very first things I posted on ff.net actually, and aren't as good as some of my more recent stuff. Eventually I may go back and touch up on them, but as soon as I get time. You know what that's like! Until I get to reviewing your Newsies story, I'll say now (I read it this morning), it is VERY good! Very good! Sticks is not a Mary-Sue! It's a very intriguing story and I can't wait to see where it goes! Alright, I'll save the rest of my praise for a review, but I was very flattered that you were inspired by my story. *blushes* Thanks! Now to YOUR reveiew to ME: 

Sorry the whole thing was rather aggravating but good. I hope this chapter answered some things. :-) **"Lucrum Insperatum", does have a meaning behind it, yes.** **It is Latin and means, "Unforseen Destruction".** Can anyone tell that I've taken Latin as a language?? ;-) It's very helpful, especially as it is used very frequently in the Harry Potter books. Actually, my description of the ring having an "eye wreathed in flame" in its center, was something borrowed from the LOTR books. Good eye. :-) **"YOU'RE RIGHT.... THAT WAS A TERRIBLE PLACE TO LEAVE US HANGING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think that you secretly love writing these amazingly astounding chapters, have each one escalate to this level where the readers are literaly on the edge of their seats with noses pressed to the computer screen, and then STOPPING!!!!!!! harumph!"**

__

Hollie, dear, you're exactly right!! *winks* I do love doing that! Except when I can't update for over three weeks. *grumble* I like to take the readers on a ride, one they'll enjoy and remember later. Basically, I'm trying to give you guys something to read while we're all waiting for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". :-) WOW! I'm on a favorite list with people like Alexandre Dumas????!!!! HOLY COW! Thank you so much! I am really, truly flattered! He is an amazing author! Wow! Cool! Thank you so much! *grins* **As for posting some of my novel on here, I'm not really sure if I will. I'm still thinking about it. For one thing, I'm still at a major writer's block at the end. Bummer. But still, I would like to see if I can get it purchased and released worldwide. Whether or not that will happen is questionable. But if it does get published, you can all be sure that I'll inform you all of its title, and yes, my name. :-)** Hope I get that far. I'll be pleased if it does. I'm quite proud of it. I'm so grateful for all your comments and, as you say, "facts". *grins* I'm a very modest person, can you tell? :-) Thank you so much! I enjoy every word! I'll try my best to get to reviewing your other stuff!! Thanks all!!

****

A/N: Just a little nonsensical info to post here. 

Did you know that:

Harry's name means: Leader (I think. I'm kinda fuzzy on the exact definition)

Ron's name means: Brave warrior. (I believe)

The name Hermione comes from mythology and was the Muse of literature.

(Again, I'm not sure. It might have been the Muse of History, sigh.)

But really guys, look up the character names in books, you'll be surprised at some of the meanings. 

Here's one I AM sure of:

Ludo, first name of the infamous Ludo Bagman, is, guess what, LATIN! and it means: Sport, tease, trick.

Huh, imagine that. 

**__**

Sibyll, from Sibyll Trelawney, means: Prophetess. 

Hermione's birthday is September 19th and Ron's is March 1st. 

Here are a few things that I do know are going to be in J.K.'s "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix":

It will be SCARY!! "Harry finds out a lot of things he hasn't stumbled across so far." 

We will find out why people become ghosts when they die. (In earlier interviews, Rowling was saying that we wouldn't find out until Book 7, but she must have changed her mind!) 

"They're 15 now, hormones working overtime. And Harry has to ask some questions that I hope the reader will think 'well why hasn't he asked this before'?" -J.K. Rowling 

There will be lots of new characters! YEAH!

Mundungus Fletcher may be making an appearence. 

Lupin WILL be making an appearance in this book! Also, Rowling said a lot of old characters will be coming back too. 

We will find out if Percy will choose to go with Fudge or his family. 

"The Dursleys are in the next book [Book 5], and there's stuff coming with them that people might not expect." 

Keep your eyes on Snape. We'll be finding out a lot more about him. 

Finally, the Arabella Figg mystery will be solved in this book. (J.K. has even hinted that there IS a bit of a connection between her and Harry!!) 

This book contains a bad death Rowling has dreaded writing. And by piecing together some comments in her interviews, it seems like there may be more to come. *shudder* Don't want to know. *mutters under breath* Not Ron, not Ron, not Ron, not Ron. No Weasleys, no Weasleys, no Weasleys, no Weasleys. :-)

We'll be hearing a new Sorting Hat song! 

Ginny Weasley is going to play a bigger role in these events. 

****

If you guys liked this, I'll do more stuff if you want. Just say so! Thanks you guys for all your reviews!! Love you all!! 

****

T.H.

****


	16. Welcome to the Real World

****

CHAPTER 16.

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

The second the weary band stepped out of the secret passageway, they were met with chaos and destruction. Harry pulled back slightly as the body of a young fourth year lying at his feet caught his eye. He stood there frozen a moment, before Rhiannon prodded him forward. Wincing, Harry closed his eyes and stepped around the boy and into the hall.

Harry stared in horror at the hall beyond. Before he had entered the chamber, it had been dimly lit, but clean and void of any object dirtying it. Now, the bricks of the walls had cracked, and every few minutes, the castle shivered madly, and bits of rock and dust littered the floor. Harry could not believe that this, _this_ was Hogwarts. It seemed too horrible to be true. He was about to step forward into the chaos-stricken hallway, when Snape quickly put his white hand in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. 

"Go no further. There are Death Eaters about." He whispered softly. 

Harry obeyed, stepping back to stand by Ron and Hermione and listened closely. Sure enough, there was a scuffling sound nearby, just around the corner. Snape frowned deeply, squeezed his eyes tightly shut, then to Harry's surprise, stepped out into the hall. Before Rhiannon and Bill could stop him, Harry stepped forward as well. 

He didn't know why he did it. He had no love for Snape, but the Potions Master had proved himself to be loyal to Hogwarts down there in that chamber. He had tried to stop Voldemort, and had suffered for it. That was good enough for Harry. He didn't feel that Snape should have to face the Death Eaters alone. Yes, that was it. Snape hadn't been alone in the chamber, where he could have died. Harry didn't feel that he should survive that, then die alone, no matter how horrible a person he was. 

Harry stood dead still at he what stood before him, though Snape merely eyed it with calm resignation. It was a constrogo. Only this one was immense, a much larger version of the medium sized one in Professor Flutterae's Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. The constrogo lifted its long serpent-like head and flashed its teeth at them menacingly, its feet planted firmly in the middle of the hallway. It was obvious that there would be no way to budge it from that place. Snape took a step closer and the constrogo snapped at him threateningly. 

Snape motioned slightly to the others and they carefully stepped out with him. Behind Harry, Draco groaned softly as the constrogo crouched its hind legs: a definite pouncing position.

"Rhiannon, you know what to do." Snape whispered, his lips barely moving as he stared stone-faced at the creature. Rhiannon nodded, then flung her wand in the air towards the creature with a flourish, yelling, 

"_HEBETO!_" 

The constrogo staggered and stumbled on its giant feet, but did not fall as the small constrogo had that day in Rhiannon's classroom. Rhiannon took a step back as the constrogo snapped sharply at her and Snape. Snape pursed his lips, but did not move, even as the constrogo stepped closer to him. 

"On three, we hit it together." Snape suddenly whispered. Rhiannon glanced at him doubtfully, but nodded, raising her wand at the same time as Snape.

"One, two, three, NOW! _HEBETO_!"

Rhiannon and Snape yelled the curse at the constrogo at the same time, both flourishing their wands in an identical fashion. Two shots of crimson light hit the constrogo in its soft underbelly, just as it pounced upon them. Immediately, the constrogo became limp and slumped to the floor. Only then did Harry notice how wildly his heart had been beating when the constrogo fell. Beside him, Ron's face was white and Hermione's brown eyes were wide as she bit her lip. Draco's tensed shoulders relaxed, but Artemis did nothing. Simply stared ahead as they walked past, giving the creature no second glance.

Snape simply nodded in satisfaction, then proceeded forward, kicking the creature vehemently as he walked past it. This was not the last time they saw another enlarged constrogo. The band passed and cursed several constrogos in this same manner as they walked through the broken-down halls of Hogwarts, never receiving any blows from any of the creatures.

After they had freed themselves of a sixth constrogo, Harry glanced behind him and at the people there. Bill and Rhiannon took up the rear, wands out and at the ready. Ron and Hermione walked a few paces ahead of them, just behind Harry, their eyes wide as they took in their surroundings. Draco and Artemis stood behind them, just in front of Bill and Rhiannon. Draco stared around him with a calm exterior, but Harry could see the disbelief resting in his cold gray eyes. Artemis looked very similar, but the slight tremor in her lips betrayed her as she gazed upon cracked picture-frames and crushed pictures, broken statues and broken-down doorways. Harry eyed her, hoping to catch her eye. When he finally did, Artemis smiled hesitantly, but it looked to Harry more like a sad smile or a guilty smile, rather than an encouraging one. He couldn't tell. He didn't want to focus on it. His world was falling down around him.

Hogwarts had become a battle zone. Where once the walls had stood majestically, old pictures proudly adorning them, there was now rubble, the pictures crushed and in pieces on the ground, pieces of the walls beside them. The group stopped and stared as they stood in front of the Dining Hall. One could hardly tell that it had been there, for the walls around it had crumbled, the magicked ceiling still suspended in the sky, but with the clouds and sunshine of the outside world, spread around it, making a perfect flowing piece of sky. In truth, Harry could barely tell which was the real sky and which was the magicked sky that he had seen so many times in his years at Hogwarts. 

"What do we do now, Rhia?" Ron asked tentatively, his gaze fixed on the hovering enchanted ceiling. Rhiannon stared at the sight, then closed her eyes and looked away. 

"I'm not sure, Ron." She said quietly. 

"One thing's for sure, we did not destroy Voldemort by destroying the mirror. That means he's either still here, or he's somewhere else commanding the armies. There are Death Eaters everywhere and constrogos." Snape said, turning on Rhiannon with a look of disgust. "I'm not sure that these _children_ should be running about in the open like this." He said.

"Where else are they supposed to go? If we let them go by themselves they could get captured." Rhiannon countered. Snape drew himself up slightly. 

"That's true. Especially since there are Death Eaters about." Snape said, eyeing Draco with raised eyebrows. Draco's gray eyes blazed and he drew himself up with an irate gesture. 

"We can take care of ourselves!" He spat angrily. Snape rolled his eyes and looked back to Rhiannon, studying her fixedly, waiting for input. 

"What if we split up? You and Bill together. I could take the children. We could start at opposite sides of the school and try to rally up as many surviving witches and wizards that we can." Rhiannon said, glancing around at her surroundings even as she spoke. 

Snape paused a moment, his dark eyebrows practically covering his dark eyes as his forehead furrowed in thought. A moment later, he shook the sheet of black hair from his eyes and nodded. 

"That will be acceptable. Be careful, and watch for Dementors. Weasley!" Snape barked as he ran off in the opposite direction. Bill rolled his eyes at Rhiannon, but smiled and ran hard to catch up with Snape as he disappeared from sight. 

"Alright, come on! We're going to start back at the statue! Keep your eyes open for any survivors!" Rhiannon said as she wheeled about and ran back towards the statue. 

Harry and the others followed her, their wands erect, their eyes wide and searching for intruders. Several constrogos were taken down with the help of Rhiannon, most of which were exploded in a fiery ball by Draco, who performed his spells alone and with great malice. Rhiannon cast a wary glance back at him, but said nothing during these times, simply eyed the Slytherin boy as he brushed his blonde hair away from his face and pocketed his wand with a look of pure satisfaction. Finally, the group slowed down as they approached the statue of Merlin. 

"It's so quiet." Hermione whispered. 

Rhiannon's pace slowed gradually, then stopped as she gazed around her at the entrance to the hall. Her fingers gripped her wand tightly and her dark blue eyes were skittering frantically around the empty hall. 

"What are we stopping for?" Artemis whispered from behind the Dark Arts teacher. Rhiannon simply stood still and did not answer. 

"There's nothing here! Come ON already!" Draco protested loudly.

Rhiannon turned to counter the boy's angry yell, but jumped to attention, wand at the ready as three Death Eaters ran down the hallway towards them. Harry watched as Draco's mouth fell open in a horrified gesture, though no sound exuded from it. Artemis and Hermione both gasped and Ron stepped back in horror. Harry simply stood still and stared at the Death Eaters as they rapidly approached. His blood ran cold as he watched them get closer and closer, thinking of the last time he'd seen them, that horrible day when he and Cedric Diggory had grabbed the Tri-Wizard cup and had fallen into a Portkey and into Voldemort's clutches. 

"Get back! Get out of here!" Rhiannon yelled, holding her wand out before her, striding forward to meet the Death Eaters. Ron jumped forward, but was held back by Hermione's grasping, frantic fingers. 

"We won't leave you!" Ron yelled. 

"I told you to get out of here! Draco! Get them out of here!" Rhiannon yelled, never looking back at them, simply stepping forward, meeting the Death Eaters head on. Draco stared at her in surprise, then looked at the Death Eaters that were now surrounding Rhiannon. Then he set his face firmly. 

"C'MON!" He yelled, turning on his heel and running away from Rhiannon. 

Harry turned back only once and it was then that he saw his teacher disappear in the cluster of Death Eaters. His heart gave a great jolt as he watched it happen. Rhiannon had not run off when faced with this danger. She had walked calmly into it, ready to face the Death Eaters with conviction and bravery. Harry knew that that scene, that picture of Rhiannon walking right into the Death Eater's clutches, would remain with him forever, no matter the outcome of the day.

The small band of teenagers managed to run through the halls without trouble, until that is Harry skidded to a stop as he recognized a fallen portrait and knew that he was outside the hospital wing. Then he remembered: he and the others were not the only ones alive in this wreckage. Draco too, skidded to a stop as he noticed Harry's departure. He turned to face Harry, his eyes flashing in frustration.

"What are you doing, Potter? We've got to go!" He yelled angrily. 

"We've got to get Fred and George!" Harry called back, moving aside the stones that covered the hospital wing door. Draco snarled angrily and leapt in front of him, knocking a stone from his hands.

"Look, Potter! We need to keep going! They most likely didn't make it anyway." Draco said firmly. 

"HEY!" Ron yelled angrily, striding towards Malfoy, Hermione on his heels. 

"Well it's true, Weasley! Your brothers were attached to the mirror and the mirror was destroyed! They most likely didn't make it." Draco said pointedly. Ron's face flushed red as he glared at Draco. 

"And you would know wouldn't you? Mister Mirror-boy! You knew everything! Why are you even helping us? Helping Hogwarts?" Ron demanded. Draco's eyes burned brightly, but he held his ground. 

"Because Rhiannon told me to!" 

At that, Ron scoffed loudly and his fists, hanging down by his side, clenched together even tighter. 

"Since when do you listen to her?" Ron yelled. 

"Look, Weasley! It's too complicated to tell you now, but just trust me! I won't betray Rhiannon Flutterae, EVER! She told me to get you all out of here, so that's what I'm going to do unless it kills me!" Draco yelled. 

Ron glared hard at him. Harry could see by the fires in his best friend's eyes, that he didn't believe the Slytherin boy, and he had a good reason not to. It was Draco who had done this to Fred and George and Martin. Draco, who had brought Hogwarts to its knees. Draco didn't deserve anyone's trust.

"You better tell me WHY right now, Malfoy! Otherwise I'm not going any further." Ron spat, crossing his arms across his chest. 

Draco gave a sigh of exasperation and thrust his hands in front of him.

"Look, after all I've done, I don't deserve anyone's trust,"

"Got that right." Ron snapped. Draco glared and continued.

"But _she_ trusts me. No one trusts me after what I've done, but she does. So, so I won't let her down." 

For a moment, Draco's voice sank to a low whisper, with a tone that, possibly, could contain emotion, ringing in his words. Harry found it hard to believe, for a moment later, Draco had brought his head up to face Ron, and his eyes were filled with more aggravation than before.

"If that isn't good enough for you, then sorry, Weasley. But that's all there is to it. Now, move!" 

Ron stared at Draco for a few moments, as if he was trying to decifer Draco's words. Then he narrowed his eyes to slits and pushed past Draco, beginning to move the fallen stones away from the hospital wing entrance once more.

"I'm goin' to my brothers." He muttered gruffly.

Draco frowned and pushed him back from the door. Ron stared at him in surprise, then punched the boy hard on the face. Draco was stunned only for a minute, before he punched Ron back, knocking him hard to the floor. Ron jumped to his feet and grabbed a fistful of Draco's blonde hair and yanked hard. Harry let out a groan and tried to pull the two apart, but it was no use. Both were now fiercely entangled with each other, both trying to inflict more pain on the other with each passing second. 

"Get off each other! C'mon!" Harry yelled, kicking at Ron and Draco in vain. 

"Will you both cut it out?" Hermione cried out, casting fearful glances back down the hall. But the boys did not cease to fight. By now it was a full scale war and neither would stop, no matter what anyone said. 

"WILL YOU GET THE BLOODY HELL OFF THE FLOOR BEFORE YOU GET US ALL KILLED!?" 

Draco and Ron looked up in startled surprise. Artemis lowered her fists that she had raised to heaven in exasperation and glared daggers at them. Slowly, the two boys stood up, looking rather sheepish. Draco ran his fingers through his messy hair, trying to get it back into some semblance of order. Ron simply stared at Artemis, then at the hospital wing door, letting the blood from his shredded lip run freely down his chin. Harry stared at Artemis as she blushed red, then jerked her head towards the hallway. 

"Save for afterwards. Ron, we'll come back for the twins later. They're probably fine. C'mon." Artemis said quietly. 

Draco stared at her in disbelief, then scoffed and stalked past her, once more becoming the leader. Ron cast one more desperate glance towards the hospital wing, then began to shuffle down the hall, staring hard at the floor. Artemis said no more afterwards, and neither did Draco.

Harry noticed as they walked through the rubble, that the halls, that should have been filled with students and teachers, were completely empty, devoid of life and also bodies. This caused Harry to grimace as he realized this fact. 

"Draco." Draco turned about to face Harry. "I think we should go outside." He said tentatively. Draco's lip curled in disgust. 

"Why on earth, Potter?" He asked in annoyance. Harry bristled at the belittling tone in Draco's voice, but continued. 

"Because there's obviously no one else in here. They must be outside." Harry explained slowly. Draco rolled his eyes and would have ignored him, had Artemis not tugged on his sleeve. 

"He's right you know." She said quietly. Draco rolled his eyes and turned around, making his way towards the door near the Dining Hall

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as Artemis turned around quickly to give him a quick wink, before turning back to walk with Draco. 

"Thank Merlin, she's here, otherwise we wouldn't be able to do anything with Malfoy." Ron muttered under his breath. 

Harry smiled and agreed silently. They were only a few feet away from the door when Harry suddenly stopped short. He thought, that is, he couldn't be sure, but he thought he'd heard something. A sudden shot of pain in his scar proved his thought true. Whatever it was, it was making his scar burn. Hermione stopped as well, glancing at him in confusion. 

"What is it, Harry?" She whispered. 

Harry's mouth quickly became dry as his scar began to burn angrily, sharp stabs of pain running up and down his forehead. He could not call out to the others who were still walking towards the door. His tongue didn't want to move. 

"Tell them to stop. There's something over there." Harry gasped to Hermione. His tongue felt like a great mass in his mouth and his forehead felt like it was on fire. He closed his eyes to try to keep the nausea from overtaking him, trying to ignore Hermione's frantic yell. Yelling only made it worse. 

"Guys, stop a minute!" Hermione called out frantically, her brown eyes fixed on Harry. 

Draco looked at her in exasperation, but he, Artemis and Ron quickly walked up to them. 

"What is it _now_, Potter?" Draco asked impatiently. 

"There's something over there. I don't know what it is, but it's making my scar burn." Harry choked, as the pain in his head became intense. 

"Oh, bloody hell!" Draco yelled in exaspteration. "We don't have time for this." He said brusquely, turning about, his cloak whirling around him as he stepped towards the door. 

Harry and the others stared wide-eyed as Draco stepped up to the door and opened it, then stepped back in horror. There, on the other side of the door, was a tall and terrifying figure. The creature was huge, tall and slim of build. Long slender hands and fingers were the only body part that was visible on its long body. Its raiment was a robe of crimson red, the dark red cowl hiding the creature's face in darkness. 

It stepped forward, the slender, white fingers at its side for the moment. Horror was etched on Draco's face as the creature came closer. Then he suddenly sobered, but did not turn to the group behind him. 

"Listen, I'll distract it. Get out of here. Find another way out." He whispered as he suddenly ceased stepping backwards and instead walked forward towards the horrible creature. 

The creature stopped suddenly as Draco walked closer to it. Then its long, white fingers stretched outwards, towards Draco. But it did not touch him. Draco stopped only a few feet away from it, waiting for it to make its move. The creature's long fingers flew outwards, moving together in a circular motion.

A moment later, a piercing shriek rang out from one of the girls as Draco was raised in the air. It was as if he was hanging by an invisible noose. His legs dangled as he lifted his hands to his neck, trying to gain air. Draco's eyes were wide as his breathing quickly became labored and he scratched frantically at the invisible restriction at his throat. Artemis darted forward, but as the creature turned its head towards her, Harry jerked her back. She pushed against him as he held her to him, but Harry refused to let her go. He had to keep his head. Draco winced and his eyes rolled in his head as he tried to breathe.

"Go! Go!" He gasped faintly. 

"We won't leave you with this thing!" Ron yelled angrily, stepping forward.

"Ron! Get back!" Harry yelled as the creature turned to face Ron, its shadowed face reminding him eerily of the Dementors. 

Draco shook his head and stared at Harry with his gray eyes, eyes that were now wide and glazed with pain and lack of air. 

"Go!" He whispered. 

Harry nodded slowly. If Draco was willing to stay, Harry didn't like it, but he had to go. Draco wanted to stay and die and there was nothing that he, Harry, could do about it. Draco closed his eyes and continued to gasp for air as Harry grabbed Ron and Artemis by the elbows and began dragging them down the hall. Only when he reached the adjoining hall did he see that Hermione was still standing in the hallway, staring transfixed at the creature, only a few feet away.

"Hermione! We've gotta get Hermione." Ron said quickly, trying to shove past Harry, who held him back.

"Harry! Harry come back!" Hermione called, waving her hands towards him frantically.

Harry turned round to look at Ron. 

"Stay with Artemis and DON'T MOVE!" He warned as he rushed to Hermione, whose wide brown eyes were fixed on Draco, dangling above her. 

"Hermione, c'mon! We've gotta get outta here!" Harry hissed in her ear as he tried to pull her away. She simply shoved at him impatiently and gestured towards the creature. 

"We can't, Harry! We've got to help him! I know what that thing is!" She whispered. Harry stared at her in astonishment. 

"How?" He asked. Hermione shook her head rapidly. 

"No time to explain. We've got to get rid of it now!" She said, hastily pulling up her sleeves and pulling out her wand. "I've never done this before, but maybe, maybe it will work." Hermione whispered nervously, and as Harry watched helplessly, she waved her wand in the air and shouted, "_SPIRITUS LUMEN!!_" 

A blast of light shot forth from Hermione's wand and it struck the red-cowled creature squarely in its middle. A shriek of pure pain erupted from the now writhing creature, its slender fingers tearing at the nothingness of its face. Draco suddenly dropped to the ground gasping, his face white, a ring of purple bruises around his neck. He continued to grasp at his neck as he lay sprawled on the floor, gasping painfully. Hermione frowned as she waved her wand at the creature once more and yelled,

"_MAGNUS SPIRITUS LUMEN!!_" 

A greater shaft of light than the last, shot from the end of Hermione's wand. This time, the wound was fatal. The creature shrieked in terror and agony as it ripped at its blood-red robes, very much like Draco had done to his throat a few moments ago. A moment later, a crimson light filled the room as the creature exploded in a million shafts of light, leaving no trace of its presence in the room. Hermione and Harry bent over Draco, who continued to gasp wildly for breath. 

"Are you alright, Draco?" Hermione asked. Draco cast her a strange look and nodded, unable to speak. 

"You'll be alright in a minute, but we've got to go on." Harry said glancing around for more of the creatures as he helped Draco to his feet. Hermione nodded and they both supported Draco between them, hobbling towards Ron and Artemis, both wide-eyed and worried. 

"Hermione, what _was_ that thing?" Ron asked, slipping his arm around Draco's other side in order to help Harry. Hermione shook her head grimly. 

"I can't believe it was even here. Voldemort means business if he's brought back the Garotters." She said, with a shake of her head.

"What's that?" Harry asked. 

Hermione cast a slightly annoyed look in his direction.

"Honestly, didn't either of you read ahead in our Dark Arts textbooks?" 

Harry and Ron both shook their heads and Hermione let out a snort of disgust, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Garrotters were used by Lord Voldemort to kill his enemies, especially Muggles."

Hermione, Ron and Harry turned to look at Artemis as she spoke quietly, her eyes never moving from the shattered walls that she watched so carefully.

"It was a creature thought extinct, but obviously not anymore. It was very much like the Dementors in its days of glory. It was mainly used by Voldemort and his followers when they wished to kill their enemies quickly and quietly. The spell that the Garotters used when they strangled their victims was '**_Laqueo Strangulo_**', a spell of strangulation, a spell that Hogwarts students will most likely learn in sixth or seventh year. I wouldn't know," Artemis shrugged. "I learned it in second year."

Harry and Ron cast wary looks at each other over Draco's head before they looked to Artemis as she began to speak again.

"The Death Eaters had so many Garotters at their disposal that they began to take over the countryside, destroying young witches and wizards everywhere. It was the darkest days of Voldemort's reign. They got so out of hand, that Dumbledore and hundreds of Aurors decided to take the matters of the Garotters in their own hands." Artemis said, pausing for a breath.

"Dumbledore?" Harry asked in surprise, glancing at Artemis. She nodded and shrugged. 

"Hermione most likely knows more about it than I. We didn't study Dumbledore as much." Artemis said, her cheeks becoming temporarily tinted pink. Hermione took the girl's cue and took up where she left off.

"It was one of the many things Dumbledore's famous for, but the Ministry doesn't like to make it public knowledge. They preferred to keep the Garrotters existence a secret, figuring that they would never be resurrected. They didn't want to worry anyone. Well, the joke's on them now, isn't it?" Hermione muttered fiercely.

"Well, don't stop now!" Ron chided impatiently.

"Dumbledore and the Aurors managed to take out the remaining Garotters that prowled the countryside, putting the Death Eaters and Voldemort at a great disadvantage, for up till then, the Garotters were one of their main way of killing their enemies." Hermione finished. 

"And so the Garotters haven't been seen since then?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded sadly. 

"That's right. It's so amazing that he's managed to bring them back into existence. That's not a good thing!" Hermione said quickly, eyeing the look of protest on Ron's face. "But still, rather amazing." Hermione said quietly. 

"The person who believes that Lord Voldemort has not returned, is the greatest fool on this earth, for the Garrotters are living proof of his resurrection." Artemis said grimly.

Harry shuddered and turned away, trying to forget Artemis' words as soon as she spoke them. They walked on in silence, Artemis saying nothing more about the subject. Neither did Hermione. She simply eyed the walls and floors, taking in her surroundings with wide eyes. After a while, Draco straightened from Ron and Harry's grasp and rasped, 

"I think I can make it on my own." 

The boys nodded and stepped back as they watched Draco step forward by himself. He held his head high, though he winced in pain as he did so, the ring of purple bruises that the Garrotter had inflicted showing clearly on his white neck. Harry was now thoroughly confused. Draco had as good as brought this upon Hogwarts, yet because of Rhiannon's trust, he risked his life for others that he supposedly hated. Harry wasn't sure of anything anymore.

They finally came to the back door, where they stopped and stood in front of it hesitantly before Ron closed his eyes and pushed it open. Before them, lay the grounds of Hogwarts. Several hundred yards away, lay the Quidditch field, and several yards away from that, stood Hagrid's cabin, looking dull and deserted. But these sights did not trouble Harry. What troubled him was what lay only a few hundred feet away from the door. Harry bit his lip to keep from crying out as his scar burned in protest. 

There on the grounds, were hundreds of the young witches and wizards of Hogwarts, their teachers standing proudly beside them. Before this line of witches and wizards, stood lines upon lines of Garotters and Dementors, all watching their victims with hidden eyes and faces, an odd and eerie band, covered in robes of smoky-gray and blood-red. 

Then a certain sight before him, caused Harry to bite his lip to keep from crying out in horror. Voldemort himself paced in front of the lines, uttering harsh words to several of the witches and wizards that stood before them. He looked the same as he had that fateful night of the third task, but the lines in his face were less pronounced, his face less chalky, and a certain, defiant gleam rested in his red eyes. Lord Voldemort had returned. 

Beside Harry, Ron scoffed. 

"What a bloody liar he is. He said that he had TONS of witches and wizards on his side. He has barely TWO." Ron muttered, as he glared hard at Voldemort from behind the doorway. 

Harry noticed with a sad smile that it was true. Two children, a boy and a girl, first years, stood by the man Harry now knew as Peter Pettigrew. Peter eyed them wearily, then glanced back at his Master intermittently, in his queer, nervous way. Ron scoffed again. 

"Good ol' Scabbers." Ron muttered, glaring at the small man. "I swear if he was a rat again, he'd lose more than his toe." 

Harry smiled at his friend's aggravation, concurring silently. Harry then frowned as he watched Voldemort pace, occasionally stopping in front of a particular witch or wizard, spitting out a question at them. Then he would move on.

But once he stopped in front of a young third year witch and his attitude and manner changed. He merely looked at her, then began to speak to her in a low, cajoling tone of voice. The young witch's eyes widened and soon her shoulders began to shudder as she sobbed silently. A moment later, she rushed to the small group guarded by Peter Pettigrew, tears still pouring down her cheeks. 

A third year wizard watched her as she did so with an agonized look, then rushed to her, attempting to drag her back with him. She cried out and pulled and tugged against his grasp, imploring him to go back. Voldemort stared at the boy warily, then lifted his wand and uttered the fatal, killing curse. A flash of green light encircled the boy, wrenching him away from the girl. The boy hit the ground, dead, his eyes still wide and staring, his outstretched hands falling to the ground beside him, the heavy sound of his arms hitting the ground reverberating in the air far too long for Harry to stand. The witch, whose hand the wizard had grabbed, stepped away from the boy's body, her eyes fixed on the sight before her. Then she covered her face, sobbing quietly in her hands and turning away from the boy and from her fellow students behind her. Voldemort simply shook his head ruefully and continued with his inspection.

A moment later, several Dementors glided into the yard, a wizard in their possession. This wizard was older than the other students, but his head was down so that Harry could not see the face. But he did see the man's crown of bright red hair that shone in the sunlight. It could only be one person, and Harry silently began to pray that it wasn't that person. Voldemort placed his bony hands underneath the man's chin and jerked it roughly. Harry winced as Ron swore violently from his place beside him. 

Bill Weasley glared at Voldemort as the Dark Lord stared at him. A grim smile flitted upon Voldemort's face and he whispered a few words to Bill. Bill stared at him for a long time, then spat in his face. 

"Good one, Bill!" Ron whispered, his eyes never leaving his brother's defiant face. 

Voldemort slowly wiped the spittle from his pale lips and cheek with his hand, then suddenly slapped Bill hard across the face. Ron made a move to jump from the hiding place behind the door, but both Harry and Hermione quickly grabbed hold of him, dragging him back. Then Voldemort began to circle Bill, speaking to him softly. Harry could not hear Bill's remarks or the Dark Lord's, but he could tell that Voldemort was not pleased in the least with the Weasley boy's answers. Voldemort's lips continued to curl in disdain and his eyes narrowed in anger as he spoke to the oldest Weasley.

A moment later, Voldemort sighed as if exhausted, then raised his wand, pointed it at Bill and uttered a curse. Harry had expected him to kill Bill, but this was not to be. The Dark Lord obviously wished to punish Bill before he had the pleasure of killing him. For the third time that day, Harry saw the '_Crucio_' curse put into play. He did not see Bill anymore, but he heard his screams well enough. Harry shook his head and closed his eyes, covering his ears to try to block out the scream, his scar burning in protest, making his stomach churn violently. It was because of this that he did not see Ron jump up from his side and run onto the yard, screaming angrily. 

Harry's fingers dropped from his ears as he heard his friend's angry yells, and without truly knowing what he was doing, he jumped to his feet and ran after him. Draco stood still, his eyes narrowing as he watched them run towards Voldemort. But he did not stand by as Artemis and Hermione moved to follow them. Instead he jerked them back by the backs of their robes and held on tightly, his eyes never leaving Ron and Harry. 

"Get off me! I've got to go help!" Hermione hissed, pulling at her robes. Draco glared down at her and scoffed. 

"Really? You think a simple Mudblood can stand up to the Heir of Slytherin? The very person who wishes to wipe out Mudbloods? I thought you were _smart_, Granger." Draco asked sarcastically. Though his words were cruelly stated, Hermione knew that what he said was true. She was no fool. 

Harry ran as hard as he could, trying to ignore the pain that throbbed in his forehead as he got closer and closer to Voldemort. He watched helplessly as Ron threw himself at the Dark Lord, but never reached him. Voldemort's red eyes widened and he sent a magical blast of light straight at Ron's chest. Ron fell among the lines of witches and wizards with a groan. Harry could only stand by and watch, helpless.

"Ron! Oh Ron!" 

Harry watched as Ron looked up and felt arms fall around him and heard the pain-filled feminine voice. Ginny Weasley looked down at her brother, frightened tears falling from her eyes, running down the purple bruise that was swelling on her freckled face. Ron blinked back his emotions as he saw his sister reduced to this, but strengthened his resolve. 

"I'm okay, Gin. Everything's gonna be alright. Harry'll take care of it." He whispered. Ginny didn't say anything, but simply remained by him, crouched on the ground, her arms around his neck.

Harry's heart constricted in his chest as he stood before Voldemort, face to face. Voldemort had not changed from the image that had been projected in the mirror. Harry thought with disgust about the change that had taken place in this man. He had once been good-looking, had almost looked like Harry as a boy. But he had disregarded his looks and the rules of his occupation for power. Now, he was nothing like that boy Harry had seen in the Chamber of Secrets. That boy had only been the beginnings of this man. This man was a monster.

"So Harry Potter, we meet again at last. I must admit your last departure was a bit too hasty, but it will not happen again." Voldemort hissed. Harry straightened, though his body wished it could simply collapse on the ground and attempt to hide, though Harry knew it would be useless. "How do you like my little scheme, Mister Potter? Isn't it grand? It all worked out perfectly! PERFECTLY! And you knew nothing of it." Voldemort hissed with pleasure. 

"I've never been psychic you know." Harry retorted, feeling new strength enter into him as he smart-mouthed the Dark Lord. Voldemort stared hard at him before continuing. Harry noticed triumphantly, that the Dark Lord looked as though he didn't know what to make of Harry's tactics. 

"You will not win this time, Potter. I've won! No one! Not Remus Lupin, not Sirius Black, not even Dumbledore could stop me! FACE IT! I HAVE WON!" Voldemort yelled triumphantly. Harry rolled his eyes. 

"Do you yell all the time? Or just when you think you're all that?" He demanded.

Voldemort gazed down at him sharply, his pupils pulsing madly.

"Perhaps, I haven't made myself clear. You've destroyed the mirror, oh, yes, you have. But I have my own ways of bringing young ones like you to my side." He said quietly, seething anger in the vibrations of his tone. 

Off-handedly, he flicked his fingers towards the writhing Bill, muttering under his breath. Bill fell to the ground in a panting heap, his dull, pain-filled eyes fixed on Harry. Voldemort walked back and forth a moment, before stepping close to Harry. 

"Before I dispose of you and your friends, beginning my conquest, I will give you a small taste of what the wizarding world will be like when _I_ rule it." Voldemort said quietly, yet still cruelly.

Voldemort then straightened and drew out his wand, pointing it at a blank spot on the earth. A shaft of light shot from the wand, then hovered there, waiting for something. Voldemort settled his wand in his pocket, then stuck his hands into the light, moving it, shaping it. Harry gazed into the shaft of light that the Dark Lord spun about in his hands, watched as it slowly grew larger and larger, till it was a long, rectangular shape. A _mirror_. 

"You see, Harry, I don't need Rhiannon Flutterae's pathetic manifestation. I can still conquer without a mere mirror." Voldemort hissed as he watched Harry stare at the magical mirror in surprise. Then all of Harry's attention was drawn to the glowing surface of the mirror as it shimmered into existence.

What Harry saw, was a dark surface, covered with black shapes that crawled along its surface. Then a group of Dementors appeared, dragging several people with them. 

__

Is this Azkaban? What am I seeing? Harry thought frantically.

It was only then when he saw the dark ruins of the castle behind the Dementors, that he realized what he was seeing. He was seeing the world as it would be. Hogwarts was destroyed, the world black and covered in darkness and dark magic. Those people whom the Dementors dragged about to be tortured were wizards who would not conform to Voldemort's will. 

The scene changed to a dark room, lit only by a drooping candle resting on a table. The shadowed walls seemed to shudder and a woman in a chair held a small bundle closer to her chest. Her eyes were wild as she rocked herself back and forth in the chair, her gaze fixed on the candle. The bundle gave a weak cry and the woman glanced down at the baby wildly. She quickly hushed the child, whispering to it soothingly. 

A moment later, a being apparated into the room and the woman jumped to her feet frantically, wand in one hand, the baby balanced in the other. The man raised his ruddy head and he turned his pale face to the woman, who slowly dropped her wand arm as she saw his face. Bill Weasley gazed at the woman and stepped to her as she rushed into his arms. Rhiannon Flutterae choked as she attempted to silence her tears, throwing her free arm around Bill, her gold wedding band flashing in the candle-light. 

"They're coming aren't they?" She whispered. Bill said nothing, but looked down at the child in her arms, then closed his eyes and nodded. "We've got to do something." She whispered. 

"We will join up with Ron and Hermione. They're leading a band of wizards through the Couchlan Valley. They're going to try to lead a strike. We'll meet with them. The closest Death Eaters and Dementors are more than one hundred miles away." Bill reassured her quietly, his strength returning. 

Rhiannon nodded, then straightened and placed the baby in a cradle, running her hand along his bright red hair gently as she tucked the blanket around him. The baby fussed slightly, then closed his bright blue eyes wearily. Rhiannon smiled wistfully, then moved about quickly, gathering things and throwing them into bags. Bill smiled gently, then kissed her swiftly on the cheek as he moved to help her.

But just as they began to work faster, the walls began to shake with a frightful pounding. Rhiannon and Bill looked wildly at the door, which now shook and glowed with a pure white light. Rhiannon shook her head slowly, and stepped back frantically, her blue eyes wild. 

"No. No. They can't have gotten here so quickly." She whispered. Bill looked at her, then wildly drew his wand from his side, his eyes lighting up fiercely. 

"Protect Arthur. We're not giving up or giving in." Bill muttered, his eyes never leaving the door. 

The door shook harder as Rhiannon stepped closer to the cradle, a determined expression on her face as she drew her wand from her side. The baby, Arthur, began to whimper slightly as the shaking increased.

Then the door broke into a thousand pieces, scattering thousands of pieces of splintered wood across the room. Bill howled in pain as the splinters flew into his eyes, face and body. Rhiannon shrieked wildly and threw her body over the cradle, protecting the child even as she was pierced by the flying wood. She and Bill stood slowly after the onslaught ceased and stared at the door. A moment later, Death Eaters stepped through the door, flanked by horrifying Dementors. The head Death Eater cast a curse at Bill, who stumbled, but did not fall. The Death Eater tossed a more devastating curse at the man, who this time, fell to his knees. Repeatedly did the Death Eater torture Bill, till he lay in a heap on the ground. Bill looked up at Rhiannon, who stared down at him frantically. He shook his head, inwardly telling her not to come to him, to protect their child.

Bill looked up at the Death Eater and smiled grimly. 

"You can kill us, but you won't stop us. Others will take our place and we will triumph." He gasped. 

The Death Eater's facial expressions were unable to be seen, but the pure hate in his emotions billowed throughout the room. The Death Eater slowly raised his wand, uttering the final blow, the _Cruciatus_ curse, followed by _Avada Kedavra_. After his body shook wildly, accompanied by the shriek of his wife, Bill Weasley breathed his last, his eyes wide open in death. Rhiannon stared at her husband, then looked determinedly at the Death Eater as he turned to her. 

"You won't take me or my son. We will live. We will survive." She whispered as the Death Eaters stepped closer to her. 

Even as the Death Eater cast the killing curse upon her, she screamed Bill's name, and her shriek was joined by that of her child as two lives were extinguished with a single blow. Harry's breath was wrenched from him in frightened gasps as the the scene changed suddenly. Though Harry still shook with the horror of the previous scene, he was able to determine that the sight before him was a dark forest. 

__

The Forbidden Forest. But why would anyone be there at night? Harry thought silently, trying to focus his frightened thoughts on the scene before him. 

But then, he saw a shadow appear out of the dark images of the trees. A figure, a person. The person held his slightly illuminated wand before him, the magical glow showing the dried mud caked on his face, the scars that covered him, the determination in his eyes and the red glow of his hair. 

"Ron?" Harry whispered as he stared at the figure. 

An older and much wearier Ron turned about and quietly motioned behind him. Out of the darkness, several wizards and witches pressed close to him, all of them as scarred and dirty as he. He spoke to them quietly for a moment, then turned a soft and gentle look to the witch who stood beside him. She smiled faintly, her brown eyes glowing encouragingly as his blue eyes traveled from her slightly frizzy brown hair to her protruding stomach. Ron sighed wearily and placed his hand on her pregnant belly, as if gaining strength from the child that rested within it. 

The battle began almost as quickly as the wizards and witches had come out of the woods. Dementors, Garotters and Death Eaters all fought hard against the small band of witches and wizards. But again, the battle ended quickly, the darkness covering the battle grounds. But though the darkness was almost blinding, Harry could still see the casualties lying about in grotesque positions on the ground. The pregnant witch, _Hermione_, knelt down on the ground, her head resting on Ron's heaving chest as he fought for breath. Then Ron ceased to be. Hermione sat up suddenly, her hand resting on her stomach. She stood unsteadily, grasped her wand shakily, and ran as fast as she could into the woods. A lone Death Eater stepped out of the darkness, not far from the battle field, gray eyes glittering beneath his black cloak. He drew the hood from his face and his blonde hair shone in the moonlight. He watched the forest that Hermione had just fled into with grimness. He looked hesitant, unsure of himself, but a moment later he turned to a fellow Death Eater, who ran into the woods, leading another party of Death Eaters and Dementors into its depths. Draco Malfoy remained behind with the Garotters, a lone figure against the blackness and death that surrounded him.

The scenes changed more rapidly now. More deaths were shown, wizards and witches hiding for their lives, trying to fight back, trying to live, to survive. 

"You see this world, Harry? Do you see the world I've begun to create? Your kind will be molded to my will. Mudbloods will be exterminated. Do you see this? If you give in to me, this doesn't have to happen. Perhaps I will go easy on your friends, but with you by my side, you can save so many more lives by convincing them to join me." Harry barely heard Voldemort's words as he stared wide-eyed at the images that flashed past him. But then as the images came faster and faster, Harry broke away from them, realizing what Voldemort was asking of him.

"Never." Harry finally whispered, turning to face Voldemort. Voldemort's flat nostrils flared slightly and his eyes narrowed. 

"Don't get me wrong, boy. I will take control of this world with or without your help. You were lucky the last time. That is one mistake I shall not make again." Voldemort said grimly.

"Oh and what are you going to do? Try to kill me? You do and others will take my place!" Harry yelled angrily, his words echoing those that the images of the future had only just uttered. Voldemort's red eyes flashed angrily. 

"Foolish boy! You speak equally foolish words! I can sense your hesitation! Your _fear_! Should you die and another take your place, then I will kill _him_! Then the next and the next! It is a never-ending cycle, Potter! Either way," Voldemort bent down towards Harry's ear, his hissing voice stabbing Harry like a knife. "I _win_." The Dark Lord finished, straightening as he did so. "But of course, one can never rely on the victim to make a decision himself. He must have persuasion." At these words, Voldemort motioned to one of the Dementors. The Dementor's shadowy head bobbed silently, then turned and motioned behind him.

Several Garotters came forth and between them, kicking and writhing, was Rhiannon Flutterae. Her neck was covered in dark purple bruises, but she continued to struggle. Bill immediately became animated as she was dragged to the Dark Lord. He began to push and struggle in the arms of his captors, his hazel eyes wide and wild. Harry stared at her in horror as she was thrown at Voldemort's feet, her chin hitting the hard earth with a sickening smack. Bill cried out angrily and pulled against his restraints, but he was held fast.

Rhiannon slowly lifted her face upwards. A trickle of blood flowed from her lip, but her eyes were still defiant. Voldemort lifted one bony finger and cruelly lifted her wounded chin upwards. Rhiannon gasped in pain, but did not cry out. A moment later, Voldemort released her and shook his head. 

"Pathetic." Then he began to pace around Rhiannon and Harry. "I will give you a choice, Potter. Who do you want to live? Your teacher? Or your friend?" Voldemort asked, pointing one bony finger first at Rhiannon, then at Ron who now stood in the crowd of witches and wizards, holding his sister closely to him. Rhiannon looked up at Harry and shook her head wildly, her eyes screaming, 

__

Don't let him kill Ron! You and the others are our only hope for the future! 

Voldemort, sensing the woman's thoughts, smacked her cruelly across the face, drawing blood from her shredded lip. Harry looked up at Voldemort, Bill's angry yell echoing in his ears. Voldemort stared at him grimly, waiting, waiting for an answer. When Harry did not answer, Voldemort shook his head, lifted his hand and squeezed it. 

Immediately, Rhiannon seemed to jump to her knees, her hands grasping her neck frantically, trying to draw air into her lungs. Voldemort was choking her, slowly but surely. Harry looked first at Rhiannon, at her bulging eyes and chapped and bleeding lips, then at Voldemort, whose red eyes gleamed cruelly as he slowly choked the life from her. 

"Stop it!" Harry screamed. Voldemort quickly released his hold on Rhiannon, who fell to the ground gasping for breath. Voldemort smiled grimly. 

"You see Harry. It is sad that I need to _persuade_ you to join me, but it is necessary, I can assure you." Voldemort said slowly, ignoring the gasping girl at his feet. "As soon as I have finished here, I will attack Azkaban. My loyal followers will be released soon and I will have more power than ever." Voldemort frowned, then began to pace again. "Sirius Black was clever to hide from me. He was clever to supply you with a '_Sugilatio Flammae_', although I was both surprised and pleased that you did not discover the gifts it held until the last minute. You should have at least guessed that it warned the bearer whenever evil was about. Once again you've proven that you're nothing but a child! Nothing but a simple child who too will bow to my wishes!" Voldemort sneered. "Oh, don't worry boy, I know where Sirius Black resides and I will be through with him soon. The same goes for his devoted friend Remus Lupin. Don't look so surprised boy!" Voldemort chuckled evilly as Harry's eyes widened in horror. "I know much. I know that Sirius resides with his _dear_ companion Remus Lupin and I know of the rebellion that they wish to start. I can assure you, it will end before it begins." Voldemort said, triumph echoing in his horrible voice.

When Harry said nothing, Voldemort frowned at him and shook his head. Then, as fast as lightening, his wand shot out and Ron fell to the ground with a shriek of pain. Harry whirled around to face him, his mind racing. Two lives were now in the balance. Only one could survive. He had to choose. 

"Harry, I can kill both of them right now, but only you can decide. I can cause them to have a slow and painful death, the two of them. But I think I will use this one as an example." Voldemort said from behind Harry. 

Suddenly, Ron's arm wrenched in its socket and he screamed in pain as a violent pop sounded in Harry's ears. Ron gasped for breath, trying to breathe through the pain as he held his broken arm to him. Another scream and another pop as the bones in his arm shattered with a sickening crack. His arm hung completely limp. He did not dare to touch it now, for even allowing it to hang caused him to whimper in pain.

"Please don't do this." Harry whispered. From behind him, Voldemort stared at Harry, stared at his limp and defeated figure. 

"This can all end now, Harry. We can end it together." Voldemort said quietly. "We will do things as it ought to be. You and I together. You and I have so much in common. You and I, both powerful in our own rights, both of us speak the language of the snakes, both of us have the power to _rule_. That is brute power, Harry, and you and I can control it, _together_. All you have to do is say the word and all will cease. It doesn't have to end like this" Voldemort said soothingly, softly. Harry stared at Ron, his friend's eyes dulled by pain as he lay on the ground. Ron shook his head slowly and mouthed the words, 

__

Don't give in, Harry. 

"Yes, Harry! Don't give in! Let this boy die! Let his mother grieve over the loss of _four_ sons!" Voldemort shrieked.

Harry's body stiffened in shock. He had just remembered. 

__

Fred and George. 

Harry remembered Mrs. Weasley, her short, stocky little body, her kind face and her love for him, the closest love he would ever have from a mother. He could not allow that to happen. He simply could not. He wasn't giving up after all. He was helping the cause. Perhaps someday he could rebel against Voldemort, destroy him when he became powerful enough. Perhaps someday. But he could not let this happen to Ron and Mrs. Weasley. This had to be done. Harry slowly turned to Voldemort, his head hanging a moment before he lifted it to face Voldemort. 

"I will join you." He whispered. 

"NO!" Rhiannon yelled, her voice an anguished sob. 

Voldemort grinned, then laughed maniacally. He then turned towards the line of witches and wizards triumphantly, turning to one in particular. That wizard's face was more worn than usual, his dirty white hair hanging in clumps about his bloodied face. 

__

Dumbledore.

"You see, Dumbledore! I knew he would see reason! I KNEW it! He has failed you, just as I said he would." 

Harry's heart leapt in his throat as he stared at the Headmaster. Dumbledore simply shrugged his shoulders, then lifted his bright blue eyes to Voldemort's red ones. 

"If that is what you believe, Tom, then very well." Voldemort snarled angrily. 

"Never call me by THAT name!" He hissed angrily, striking Dumbledore violently across the face. 

The witch beside Dumbledore cried out, then stifled any future cries by placing her hands firmly at her sides, raising her pointy chin with determination. _Professor McGonagall._ It was then that Harry realized, he did not see any other Professors. Rhiannon, Dumbledore, McGonagall. They were the only ones present. 

"Harry, if you are most incredibly curious, you could search the classrooms of what your school once was and find your lost teachers." An evil grin stretched across Voldemort's face as he stared at Harry, then glanced triumphantly at the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall. 

"After my Dementors drove the teachers back, they ran into the school to protect their _precious_ students, giving me an advantage I used several means of disposing of them. Professor Sprout lies beside her own precious '_Venenatus_' plants, poisonous plants reserved ONLY for seventh year students. They are never removed from the greenhouse, for at times, they are especially prone to being drawn to large amounts of magic. She never had a chance." Voldemort said, the grin still resting on his snake-like face. "Professor Flitwick is resting in his classroom as well, destroyed by an _accidental_ conjuring of dangerous charms." Voldemort said, a mocking innocent expression on his face. "Professor Sinistra, should be happy that her tower collapsed on top of her, for now she can gaze at the stars forever." He continued, a mocking expression on his face. "Madame Hooch lies on the grounds of her Quidditch court. You may find a few rogue bludgers still flying in the air." Voldemort said cruelly. "And your especial favorite teacher, Professor Trelawney, well, let us say that she took one too many looks into her crystal ball for my liking. I made sure to destroy that tower first. She lies beneath the rubble. All of your teachers, save for these few, lay dead in the castle." Voldemort said with a yawn. "As for Binns, as he's already dead and I cannot dispose of him further, he has merely hidden among the ruins of the castle with the other ghosts like him."

"As for _Hagrid_," Voldemort hissed suddenly and cruelly. "Who knows how he has escaped, but he has indeed escaped. And when I find out what _creature_ or being has saved him, I will destroy him _and_ it at the same time. The same goes for your Potions Master. I will have him in my grasp before long. He cannot avoid me." Voldemort said with a deadly grin. Harry breathed a slight sigh of relief, trying to ignore the cruel words, trying to comprehend what Voldemort was saying. So, Snape had escaped Voldemort. But all the other teachers, save Rhiannon, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Binns, were gone. Dead. Every single one. He felt a trickle of guilt run up and down his spine as he thought of Professor Trelawney, of the mean things he'd said about her, of everything he'd ever done. 

__

Why couldn't I figure this out sooner? He asked himself, despair showering over him like rain.

"Now Harry, if you will stand in line with your other little friends, we will get this over with." Voldemort said with mock sweetness, giving him a shove towards Ron and Ginny. Harry did not resist this time. He simply walked over and stood beside Ron, who stood bravely, though his face was pinched in pain. "NOW! HEAR ME!" Voldemort yelled, extending his arms in the air, calling attention to him. "YOU WILL JOIN ME, OR YOU WILL ALL PERISH! I CAN ASSURE YOU, THAT NONE OF YOU WILL BE LEFT ALIVE!" Voldemort shrieked, his words cutting the sky above with its cruel tones. There were no answers at first, simply dry sobs. Then the calls for mercy showered out in a torrent, but one shrill, angry yell blocked them out. Over the shouting of submission, a young girl stepped from the crowd. 

Harry's breath caught in his throat painfully as the little girl from the Hogwarts Express, Jessica Fawnweb, stepped out of the crowd, her face pale, but determined. 

"ARE YOU ALL STUPID?" She shrieked. The calls and pushing from the other witches and wizards slowed, then stopped as their eyes fixed on the little girl. "IF YOU GIVE IN HERE, THEN WE'VE LOST! WE DON'T HAVE ANY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE!" She yelled loudly. 

"BUT IF WE DON'T GIVE IN, THEN WE REALLY WON'T HAVE ANY FUTURE BECAUSE WE WON'T BE ALIVE!" A young wizard screamed frantically. Jessica pressed her lips together, but raised her hands once more. 

"YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD IF YOU GIVE IN TO VOLDEMORT, BECAUSE HE WILL MAKE YOU WISH YOU'D NEVER BEEN BORN!" Jessica shrieked. The crowd gasped as they heard the little girl say the Dark Lord's name. Jessica stared disapprovingly at the wizards and witches around her. "WHAT? THAT'S HIS NAME!! VOLDEMORT! VOLDEMORT! VOLDEMORT! I'M NOT AFRAID TO SAY IT! VOLDEMORT!" She yelled. The crowd shuddered and pressed together, waiting for the lightening to strike the little girl before them. But nothing happened. She simply turned to face Voldemort, her little hands on her tiny hips. "Voldemort, Mister Riddle, that's your real name, you know. Professor Dumbledore told us so." She said quietly. 

Voldemort's nostrils flared wide and his eyes narrowed as he raised his hand. But to everyone's surprise, Jessica caught the thin hand as it raised. Voldemort's hand froze, surprise echoing on his death's head face. She slowly lowered his hand then dropped her hands to her sides. 

"Mister Riddle, I'm not afraid of you. Harry's right you know. You can kill us, but there are still alot more wizards and witches like us who can fight you. We might not win, but we can sure fight hard. Plus, with Professor Dumbledore on our side, how can we lose?" Jessica said, a lopsided grin spreading over her small face. The crowd was now silent as they watched the little girl speak calmly to the Dark Lord they feared so much. Voldemort stared at her, for once, unsure of what to say or do. "If you want to, you can kill me now, 'cause no matter what you say, I'm not afraid. Plus, I'm much more powerful dead than alive anyway, because I can keep our spirit and determination alive and you can't kill me twice." The girl smiled sweetly at the hideous creature before her, then lowered her head in submission.

Voldemort stared at the girl in astonishment, then blinked slowly. Then he put one thin finger beneath her chin and raised it. 

"What house are you in, witch?" He asked. Jessica smiled gently at him. 

"Gryffindor, Mister Riddle. And I'm proud of it." She said softly. 

Voldemort stiffened, then turned away from the girl. Harry could not speak, could not breathe as he watched the small figure of the girl standing behind Voldemort. Then Voldemort whirled about, his eyes on fire, uttering the deadly spell in a harsh scream,

"_Avada Kedavra!_" 

Harry barely heard his own scream, for it was mixed with thousands of others that cried out beside him. A flash of green light was cast around them, accompanied by a crushing wind. Harry grabbed Ginny and Ron to him, holding them close, trying to keep them safe. It was the one thing he could do now. He held them, feeling the crushing winds of Voldemort's hatred and malice towards the little witch explode around him. When the wave of magic finally cleared, Jessica Fawnweb lay on the ground, her eyes closed, a small smile on her face. Voldemort stared at the body, transfixed, then turned away. 

"Take her from my sight. I never wish to see her face again." Voldemort whispered. Several Death Eaters walked from the crowd and grabbed the girl, dragging her body with them. Voldemort stood still a moment, his back facing the crowd for a long time. Finally, he turned to them slowly.

"Now, who opposes me?" He whispered. 

"WE DO, VOLDEMORT!" 

Harry looked up into the sky where the scream came from, as did the others around him.

What he saw, sent a thrill of exhilaration and shock shooting through his body. Hovering above them, were hundreds of witches and wizards, lead by Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. Harry laughed aloud as he saw Sirius' black hair flying in the wind behind him as he grinned and waved down at him. Remus too, grinned as he eyed his friend, then forced it from his face as he eyed Voldemort grimly. But Sirius was not nearly so cautious. He instead swooped down on his broomstick, very close to Voldemort and the Death Eaters, avoiding their curses that they shot at him. He merely laughed wildly, then stuck his middle finger out at Voldemort before swooping back into the sky, but not before narrowly being missed by a curse. Remus glared hard at Sirius as he swooped back beside him, laughing long and hard. 

"I LOVE that Muggle expression!" Sirius laughed hysterically.

When Sirius finally stopped laughing, he looked at Lupin sheepishly, then shrugged his shoulders. 

"You want to be serious now, Black?" A rough voice called. Arthur Weasley's face was firm, but there was a slight twitch in his lips as he stared at Sirius. Sirius chuckled again and shrugged. 

"Arthur, I _am_ Sirius!" He laughed. Remus rolled his eyes, then looked back down at Voldemort. 

"Give it up, Voldemort! We've got wizards and witches below, and wizards and witches above." Remus called out. 

Voldemort stared at him, at the wizards and witches beside him on their broomsticks. Molly Weasley gripped her broomstick handle tighter as Harry saw her eyes run over a collapsed, but angry Bill, and Ron and Ginny, both grasping onto Harry. Harry gave a breathy sigh as he watched her, seeing the anguish that exuded from her gaze. 

"Oh good grief, Dad! Let's get going! He's too surprised to say anything!" Harry recognized Charlie Weasley, who sat beside his father on his own broomstick, his keen eyes fiery as he gazed at his brothers and sister. 

"We must be composed and serious, Charlie." Percy said snootily from beside his mother. Charlie grinned at Sirius, then turned back to Percy, jerking his thumb at Sirius. 

"PERCY, _he's_ Sirius." 

Percy merely glared at him. Suddenly, Voldemort shrieked with laughter. 

"THIS is what you bring, Lupin? A bunch of soddy children and overweight wizards and witches? I hope you're prepared to die!" Voldemort laughed. 

"An' I hope tha' yer ready ter eat yer words, Tom Riddle!" 

Harry grinned happily as he saw Hagrid shaking his large fist at Voldemort from the back of the hippogriff, Buckbeak, his black hair flying madly in the wind. Voldemort chuckled and rolled his red eyes back in his head. 

"Good to see you once more, Hagrid. I'll dispose of you quickly." 

Hagrid narrowed his dark eyes at the Dark Lord. 

"Tha's wha' _you_ think." He yelled.

Voldemort merely pursed his thin lips and shook his head slowly before turning back to the groups of witches and wizards. 

"Well, it seems that I am done for." Voldemort said in a tone of mock sadness, before whirling around to face the witches and wizards in the sky. "For the Marauders walk again! And everyone knows that the Marauders have never lost!" He screamed loudly. Sirius immediately sobered as he reigned his broomstick in next to Remus. Voldemort stared at them, a gleam in his red eyes. "Then again, if that's true, then there should be two more of you." Voldemort said evilly, counting off spaces in the air beside Remus and Sirius. "Where's James, Black? Where's Peter?" Voldemort sneered.

Harry watched as Sirius' nostrils flared and he made an angry move to swoop down upon the Dark Lord. But Remus quickly placed his hand over Sirius' broomstick and motioned to him. Sirius pursed his lips fiercely, but remained beside his friend. 

"We did not come here to exchange vain insults, Voldemort. We came to negotiate, to fight if necessary. Now, hand over our children." Remus said firmly, his gray eyes narrowed. Voldmort chuckled softly, then the laughter became cackling as it built up in volume.

"I will not hand over _your_ children, Lupin. You'll have to fight me for them." Voldemort sneered. Lupin's eyes flashed and he glared fiercely at Voldemort as Sirius swore angrily. 

"If a war is what you want, then a war you shall get." Lupin said firmly. 

An evil gleam spread into Voldemort's eyes as he stared at the wizards and witches above him. Then Sirius raised his wand high in the air, shouting a battle cry that could be heard for miles about. They swooped down upon Voldemort, a mass of black robes and angry faces. The army of light began to fight against the army of death. 

The War of the Wizards had begun.

************************************************************************

**__**

Author's Note: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! *stretches and waves* Hi guys! Sorry for the long wait again. This was a pretty important chapter, and I wanted to make sure it was perfect for your reading pleasure. ;-) That and I haven't really been able to get on ff.net that much recently. But to those of you who've updated chapters, (i.e. Torrential Zephyr. *gulps*), I HAVE read them, but just haven't gotten the chance to review. They're all amazing though! I WILL get around to it, I SWEAR! *shakes head* If only I didn' t have so much else to do. *grumbles* Oh well! Thank you all for your concern about the family emergency. Fortunately, it turned out well and there were no deaths. Shew. Thank you all very much though. It was quite a trying time, and reading your reviews. Made me happy. :-) I am SO flattered by all your guys' praises of my previous chapter! That is one of my favorite ones because that's when the plot comes to a climax. I hoped you guys would like it, and I'm so glad you do! Thank you for all your praises of it! I'm really honored! **GUYS!!!!! RELEASE DATE FOR HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX WAS RELEASED!!! AAAHHHH!!! **Okay, who's excited!!!! MMEEEEEE!!!!!! *takes a head count, but gives up because there's too many hands* June 21. YESSSS!!! I'm happy! Except for one thing........the main reason I wrote this story was to keep me from going crazy with the anticipation of the fifth book. Now the fifth book is coming out and I'm gonna hafta abandon the fact that MINE **isn't** the fifth book........that could get confusing. :-) BUT STILL! IT'S COMING OUT!! YEEEESSSS!! Okay, I wanna get a count: How many times did you guys see "Two Towers"? Unfortunately, I only got to see it twice. *grumbles about obnoxious theaters and obnoxious schedule* I suppose I'll just have to wait till it comes out on video, eh? That and Chamber of Secrets, which I ALSO saw twice. Both fab films. Okay, better get on with the Thank you's, as they're all very well deserved!

****

Takari4ever7: Hello! Welcome to the story! I'm always so tickled when I get new reviewers! Thank you so much for your review! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the story! Thank you, thank you. I hope you find this again. :-) Wasn't Two Towers great? Very, very cool! Can't wait till it comes out on video. Whheeeee! Oh yeah, I love Takari too. ;-) One of the other things I enjoy. :-) Thanks for reviewing!

****

Lyddi: Hey! Welcome to the story! I'm really glad you liked it! *blushes* Sure I'll keep writing! I love to keep my readers happy! It's my job! ;-) Thanks for the review! 

**__**

Leaf: Hey buddy! How ya doin'? _Good I hope! Glad you enjoyed the chapter! It was such a big thing for me. I hope you've seen LOTR by this time! If you haven't, aaahhh, you've GOT to! Kick butt movie! Looooovvvveee Legolas. :-) *sigh* Very handsome lad, that one. Frodo too. Love his eyes. Yes, there's been soooo many rumors about the fifth book. Frankly, I try not to read them. Just because 1) they can get rather ridiculous, 2) I don't wanna get hooked on one guess and then be disappointed when it's not put into use. But still, I can't wait! Oh good! I love new computers! So nice and shiny! And they actually WORK!! :-) Thanks for reviewing!_

****

Silver Elf: Eep! *hides from Silver Elf* Yes, I liked the elves in Helm's Deep, but YES, I did know that that was a rather egregious oversight, as they weren't really there. But I figured it made more sense for them to join the guys THERE, so that it would make more sense when they joined them in Return of the King.......er, that came out really weird. I hope you decifer my meaning. I was a little more ticked about the fact that they totally skewed Faramir's character. Yeah, that kinda ticked me off a bit. I was also sad that Shelob was nowhere to be found, but that was probably due to time constraints. But all and all I liked it. Heh-heh, my sister had a similar reaction to yours though. :-) I did love all the Elvish, though I disliked all the Arwen kissy-kissy blah-blah. Don't care much for the screen Arwen. I mean, I realize that they have to bring her back so that the audiences not familiar with Tolkien won't forget her, BUT DOES SHE NEED A BIGGER PICTURE ON THE MOVIE POSTER THAN LEGOLAS? OR HIGHER BILLING!!! *gasp* Sorry, that kinda ticks me off too, come to think about it. Maybe if they had cut out the Arwen scenes and that one just *odd* part when Aragorn fell off the cliff, they would have had room for Shelob. *sniffles* Okay, I'm just whining now. :-) You and me both. We'll wring Pettigrew's neck together. Yeah, you and me and every other HP fan out there. :-) Correct me if I'm wrong, but with the whole "Don't trust something if you can't see where it keeps its brain", I knew that Mrs. Weasley told Ginny that, but I thought she said, "Don't you remember what your father's always said," or something like that preceding it. That's why I said Mr. Weasley said it. But again, correct me if I'm wrong. Heh-heh, I love Ron in this chapter too. Very much a Weasley. Very stubborn, very rockin', very fab. Okay, I guess, you know sort of where Draco, Harry and Ron stand, now that you've read this chapter. They're on the same side.....sort of. A rather begrudging alliance. Heh-heh, yes, that's my secret. The whole story is actually done. I wouldn't have it any other way. If it wasn't finished, I'd go crazy because I go back through my stories and edit SO much, you have no idea. So I just waited to post till the whole thing was done. Helps keep my sanity in place. :-) Thanks for the wonderful review! 

****

Balizabeth: Balizabeth, luv! Wonderful to hear from you! By the time I finished your review for the previous chapter, I was several shades of red! :-) Thank you SO much for all your praise! I'm so glad that I conveyed the story well, and up to par. :-) I really, honestly don't know what to say! I'm just really flattered by all your comments! Truly, I am. I'm glad you liked the updates, and now we know when the fifth book is coming out! YESSS!!! Oh it's just fine! Don't worry about asking when I'd update. It's all cool. Doesn't Two Towers just kick.....ahem, booty? :-) I loooooooovvveedd it! Had a few qualms, but nothing too huge. GAK! You saw TTT five times.......*sniffle* Oh well, like I said before VIDEO, actually DVD. Bwahahahaa! Love DVD's. Well, thank you darling, for all your praises! Believe me when I say that I'm very honored by them. Luv ya!

****

Kora: Thanks for the review! Hey! Did you actually post that new songfic you were talking about? Because I keep checking your author site and there's nothing new there, unless I'm just blind. What's the name of it if it is posted?GAK! Pics from Return of the King? From whence did they come? Speak quickly! Heh-heh, got into LOTR speak for a minute there. :-) Lol! I laughed a lot when reading your thoughts of writing a LOTR/HP story. :-) You probably could work Merlin in. You're clever enough to pull off something like that. :-) Love ya! Thanks for the support!

****

Quiet One: Hey! how ya doin'? I'm so glad that that ff.net brain fart is over. *shakes head* It was so obnoxious. Thanks so much for your review! Well, there's sorta a bit about Voldemort's army, but not alot. That's for the next chapter. The next chapter is one big gory battle scene. :-) I like how Draco acts in the previous chapter, as well as this one. He's trying, somewhat hard, but he's trying. He realizes that there has to be SOME sort of alliance if they're going to get out of there alive. I liked the elf army too, like I said in the above. *sigh* I just love elves. I finally got the soundtrack as well! It was like sold out in all the places that had cds. GAAHHH!! So obnoxious. So I just got it recently, and love it, of course. Heh-heh, you've got it memorized? You should write up the script and post it here. I might use it. Bwahahahaaa. :-) I LOVED the film! Gollum was amazingly well done. Perfect. I had hoped that they wouldn't, well, butcher him or anything, being that he's computer digital, but he was perfect. He didn't look computer digital. He looked very, very real, which is more than I can say for c.d. creatures like Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars. "Give it to us raw, and wriggling, you keep nasty chips!" BWAHAHAHA! One of my fave lines in the film! _It was VERY Hard to ignore all the good looking guys. I.E. LEGOLAS, LEGOLAS, LEGOLAS. My goodness that lad is so good looking. Isn't that eerie how much the actor who plays Faramir looks like Sean Bean (Boromir)? I thought that was just uncanny. You're right. He's just softer, I dunno. But it's so uncanny. *sigh* I still wish they had time for Shelob. They could have cut out some of the Arwen kissy-kissy scenes, or that bogus part with Aragorn falling off the edge. But then again, we wouldn't have been able to hear our favorite elf say, "You're late. You look terrible." *grins and laughs* And also it was somewhat necessary because then we see that Eowyn REALLY likes Aragorn, but she hides it because Legolas gives Aragorn Arwen's necklace back. Okay, I'm getting too into this. :-) I DID take Latin! Isn't it interesting? Yes, the declinations are VERY difficult, but once you get through those it's smooth sailing! Very useful indeed. People say it's "not useful" or it's a "dead language", yet most of our English vocabulary is built upon it. It's far from "dead". I have been meaning to read your Helm's Deep story, and WILL get to it. Just as soon as I get time. :-) Promise. I know, I got the same stuff from people who thought it was dumb to take Latin instead of Spanish or French. But truthfully, French is only helpful if you're abroad, or travel quite a bit. Heh-heh, it's nice having a fan who studies Latin, that way you'll get alot of the spells and other things I'm using. Sweetness. **OH! I got through a breakthrough in my book actually! It should be done VERY soon. I will be sure to let you all know when it's done and if it actually does get published.** That would be an amazing dream come true for me! But yeah, besides my fam, you'll all be the first to know! :-)Thanks for all the smashing support!_

****

Hollie: I know that you didn't get to finish reviewing, but I'll thank you anyway. ;-) Wasn't that whole ff.net thing, just so obnoxious? I found it extremely annoying, especially as I was trying to get my reviews so I could write thank you's and finish up my chapter. :-) _Doesn't Ron just kick butt? I love him in that previous chapter. He's very stubborn and wilfull. Come to think of it, I love him in this chapter too.........and in every chapter! ;-) GAK! I hate it when you have to go too, because then I can't say anything else, without giving away stuff. Of course, if you're reading this, you've already finished reviewing the last chapter and have read THIS one..........okay, that was confusing. Don't worry 'bout it. I did read your third Newsies chapter and will get around to reviewing it as soon as possible. :-) Thanks so much for the review!_

**__**

Whether Rose: AAHHHH!! BUDDY!! *gives WhetherRose a great big hug* Great to see you! I'm so glad you're back! I've missed ya! Oh you took my story on a car trip! Wow! Cool! Glad it made the trip bearable. I know how brothers are. ;-) "Exploding Snape" is one of my favorite things. I actually added that in at the last minute because I was reading through it and thought it would be funny for Artemis to take out her anger over Snape's punishment on the game. :-) Ron and Hermione belong together! I have PROOF at the bottom of the thank you's. :-) I'm really glad you liked the dance. I had hoped that people wouldn't find it boring or anything. I tried my hardest for it not to be. :-) Martin is one of my favorite original characters to write, besides Artemis. He's actually quite a complex character and we won't really see that until the sequel to this comes out. But I love him. He's really cool. I thought that the Marauders should inject some humor into the story, as it was only the first few lines and it was already tense as could be. :-) But of course, we couldn't let it STAY funny. Noooo, we've gotta get right back on the climax. *shudders* That chapter is one of my favorites, because of the growing tension, then the climax. I'm so honored that you like my story so much! Your praise is held in very high esteem indeed. Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the HP section that I put up again. I put in your suggestion too. Thanks! :-) Luv ya lots!

****

Torrential Zephyr: Ahh, my buddy! How are you? Wonderful! I hope you're fine. I'm doing much better though. Thanks for the GREAT review! *sigh* I love the Marauders too. They'll return soon, maybe not in this story, but in the next one. :-) Your observation about "...The mirror pouted." is semi-correct. The mirror does NOT have a mouth, but I was implying 'pouting' in the tone of voice. No worries! Don't feel bad or worry about writing everything you think when you review! I enjoy reading it thoroughly, just to get an idea of what you're thinking, and how your deducting skills are. ;-) I certainly wouldn't want to use the mirror after learning how "great" Peter is. I wouldn't exactly SAY that Mr. Mirror. :-) AHA! You're right! When Bill returned to the Burrow in the VERY, very beginning, the Mirror is what he was referring to. Your anticipations about Martin.............are semi-correct, and you will find out why in the coming chapters. 

****

"That character confuses me--one instance she threatens to destroy the mirror (though her eyes are the mirrored blue of the Mirror, so it might be some plan of the mirrors; *sigh* I don't know...), and then she stands *proudly* when the mirror tells of her deed."

__

There's an explanation there. The mirrored blue of Rhiannon's eyes is simply something that was added to the mirror during production. Rhiannon wanted to have an identifying feature about it, so she could be sure of it's identity. After all, there are quite a few magic mirrors in the world. Then when she stands "proudly", that's merely her way of defying the mirror, not skulking in a corner while it accused her. Thank you so much for all your praise! I hold it in the greatest esteem and am so pleased that you enjoy it as much as the books! Wow! I am so honored! I'm glad that your holidays were good and well-spent. Oohh! And extended breaks are always lovely, due to snow! Wow! I haven't seen snow in ages! I swear I will review your Tom Riddle chapter. I DID read it, just didn't get a chance to review. Thank you SO much! Your reviews always make my day! :-)   


**__**

Okay guys, time for more HP stuff. As in the previous chapter, I'm gonna tell you a few tidbits about my story, and the other HP books. You might want to pay attention to some of these. I might just be putting these in for fun, but some of them might be giving you information about stuff that will happen later.

Here's some explanations for stuff in MY story: 

The spell that Artemis refers to, "**Laqueo Strangulo**", means in basic English, to "choke in a noose." Yes, this is Latin. Thecounter-spell that Hermione uses, "**Spiritus Lumen**" means "breath or soul of light". 

****

The Garrotters got their name from a Spanish word, "garrote", which was a former Spanish method of execution, by means of a cord or metal collar tightened on the neck by a screw-like device, any method of strangulation, basically.Eerie huh? Got any other questions about some stuff, you can ask me. I'll try to answer as best I can. :-)

****

Name Meanings and Origins: 

Albus means white, as my dear friend Whether Rose so kindly pointed out! :-)

Dumbledore comes from an old English word for bumblebee.

Some of you may have noticed this, possibly, but Quidditch is actually put together by means of the numerous balls used in the game! **Qu**affle, blu**d**ger, blu**d**ger, and sn**itch**. Very clever, very clever.

The Potters were named after one of J.K. Rowlings neighbors. I bet those people are thrilled. ;-)

Dursley is a town near J.K. Rowling's birthplace.

Firenze is the Italian name for the famous city of Florence.

Flitwick is a town in England.

Snape is the name of another English village.

Beauxbatons is French for "beautiful wands."

Fleur Delacour is French for "flower of the court."

****

Gilderoy Lockhart is an interesting, but explanatory name. Gilderoy refers to being gilded (covered in a thin gold foil) to make him seem intelligent and attractive. However, the last name fits his role as a writer of wizard lore. A man named J.G. Lockhart was the son-in-law and biographer of Sir Walter Scott, the Scottish author whose skills earned him the nickname, "Wizard of the North.

Remus Lupin's name is pretty self-explanatory as well, if you know Latin and its history that is. *winks at Quiet One* Lupus is Latin for "wolf." The legendary founders of Rome, who as children were raised by a wolf, were named Romulus and Remus. (Soooo, does this mean if Remus has like, I dunno, a brother somewhere, Romulus would probably be his name? *winks*)

Parvati Patil has an interesting name. Parvati is a Hindu goddess. 

  
**Cool, yes?** **Now, here's some more stuff, just little tidbits. We'll get to stuff specifically about the books in a minute.**

Did you guys know that Animagus, isn't exactly a new concept at all, but stories about wizards have contained them changing into animals for forever? Rowling came up with the name Animagus, but there are several legendary wizards who used the art of changing into animals, the most famous of all being Merlin. One of the first wizards to change into an animal, however (keep in mind, this is mythology *grins*) was Proteus, of Greek mythology. He was a servant to Poseidon, the god of the ocean. One of his special talents was the knowledge of the past, present and future. Unfortunately, this meant he was always being asked for predictions. So to hide himself, he would change into a variety of animals. Something that changes shape is still said to be "protean." Probably one of the greatest written accounts of this shift-shaping, is contained in the book, "The Sword in the Stone", by T.H. White. If you're gonna read it however, **I'd** suggest simply getting, "The Once and Future King", which contains, not only "The Sword and the Stone", but the entire story of King Arthur and Merlin. Seriously, it's a great passage to read. Seriously awesome. Would I lead you wrong? :-)

"Morsmorde" is the command that Barty Crouch uses that makes the Dark Mark appear in the sky. It means "take a bite out of death", in French, making a fitting call for Death Eaters.

The origin behind Lupin giving Harry and the others chocolate after escaping the Dementors was conceived by Rowling. Dementors "drain peace, hope and happiness out of the air around them," according to PoA. J.K. confirmed that Dementors represent the mental illenss known as depression. "That is exactly what they are. Depression is the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced. It is that absence of being able to envisage that you will ever be cheerful again. That very deadened feeling, which is so very different from feeling sad. Sad hurts, but it's a healthy feeling. It's a necessary thing to feel. Depression is very different." So why chocolate? Medical studies have proved that chocolate can make the depressed feel better, and actually has some of the same effects as the medicine that doctors prescribe.

****

Okay, one more, then we'll get on to the stuff about the books.

No one knows where Durmstrang is located, right? But one can guess that it's hidden somewhere in northeastern Europe, judging from the uniforms--on top of robes of "deep bloodred," the students wear coats of "shaggy, matted fur"--and from the Russian names of Headmaster Igor Karkaroff and students such as Poliakoff. The school's name is a play on the German phrase **Sturm and Drang** ("storm and stress"). That term describes an important type of German literature in the 19th century devoted to grandeur, spectacle, and rebellion. We all know that Durmstrang is different from Hogwarts, in that while at Hogwarts, the students are taught only Defense Against the Dark Arts, Durmstrang students are taught the Dark Arts themselves, due to the influence of Karkaroff, a former Death Eater. It also refuses to accept "Mudbloods". This devotion to a nasty and highly questionable notion of purity befits the school's name. The writers of the **Sturm and Drang** movement, were favorites of the Nazi government in Germany just before and during the Second World War. The Nazis were obsessed with killing anyone who did not fit their definition of a pureblooded German. The differences between Hogwarts and Durmstrang also reflect long-standing animosity between countries of Western and Eastern Europe. Hogwarts under Dumbledore's leadership, is a good example of the democratic traditions of the West. Durmstrang is a more severe place, breeding wizards who can't be trusted---just as Eastern Europe has long been viewed by outsiders. However, by the end of **Goblet**, both sides recognize that ther animosity must be put aside to fight a foe who threatens them both.

****

The previous entry on the books was about the Order of the Phoenix. These stuff are CONFIRMED facts about the coming books. *rubs hands together* I can't wait!! :-).

__

There will be more deaths! *Ack! Not Sirius and no Weasleys! Please!!*

__

We will find out what James and Lily Potter did before they died. (Rowling has also said that James inherited a lot of money, so he didn't need a job that paid a lot of gold. Hmmm... Interesting.) 

__

When asked if Sirius was ever going to be declared innocent, J.K. refused to answer the question saying that it would be a plot spoiler if she answered. *Most mysterious! I wonder, I wonder. *

__

There IS something going on between Hermione and Ron! (Ron just doesn't know it yet.) _*BWAHAHAHAHA!!! I knew it! H/R shippers rejoice!*_

__

"Key things happen in book two and no one knows how important those things are yet. *I wonder what these "key things" will be. They could be anything from the Ford Anglia running wild in the Forbidden Forest to Dobby being freed. Any ideas?* 

__

We're going to find out why Harry has to return to the Dursleys' every Summer. _*I've got a pretty good idea for this one. Probably because Dumbledore's got it covered with charms, spells, etc, and also with a guardian. MY suspicion is Arabella Figg. Always has been.*_

__

There is more to the Sorting Hat than what meets the eye. *We gathered that somewhat from "Chamber of Secrets", but what else could it be hiding do you think?* 

__

Voldemort's old ways are going to rise again. There will be muggle killings and stuff like there used to be when he was in power. *Hmmmm, who woulda thought? :-)* 

__

Hermione will loosen up even more as time goes on. *Well, she did yell at that Skeeter cow, and she DID slap Malfoy across the face! That's an improvement! :-)*

Dumbledore's "look of triumph" in book IV is a very important clue for future books. What it means, nobody knows. 

**__**

I really hope you guys enjoyed this. I enjoyed writing it and hearing your thoughts about it. I'll try to spread it out and do some for the last chapters, just to make things interesting. :-) Oh YEAH! I almost forgot! Recently, I wrote a Draco story, that I posted recently. I didn't post it at the usual time that I usually do, so it got kicked off the first hundred pages in a matter of hours, so you guys didn't get to see it. I really did want to hear what you think, so if you get the time, wanna check it out? It's called "Let Me Fall", but you can just get it from my Author page. Thanks for all the great reviews and thoughts you guys! You're all amazing!

T.H.


	17. The Resurrection Spell

****

CHAPTER 17.

THE RESURRECTION SPELL 

The war had begun. Evil and good, life and death. Both hovered just above the battlefield. The wizards above, struck well aimed spells at the dark wizards below. Those on the ground did the same, drawing their wands on their foes with a cry of rage. The Death Eaters were now thrust into action, accompanied by their partners, the Dementors and the Garroters. 

Harry watched helplessly as witches and wizards were pulled from their brooms by spells cast at them by the Death Eaters, then as the Dementors quickly took chase after the fallen witches and wizards. Those unfortunates, crawled frantically away on all fours, staggering as they tried to get to their feet, much to the Death Eaters' pleasure. Several Death Eaters cast floating charms on many of the wizards and witches as they tried desparately to get away, sometimes dangling them right above the immense Dementors' hooded heads. Harry's fists clenched together tightly as he watched the spectacle, thinking back to the Quidditch World Cup, when they'd performed a similar stunt. But that time it had been on Muggles. It seemed even worse now. It felt to Harry, that they were making a mockery of the world he believed in, the world he was a part of.

But Harry had little time to think on this. All too soon, the Death Eaters split up, several of them grabbing fallen broomsticks and flying dangerously close to the children on the ground, casting many charms and spells in their direction. Harry grabbed hold of a little girl who stood paralyzed in the center of the field, and pushed her out of the way as a Death Eater swooped dangerously close to her head. With the help of Ron and Ginny and the other older students, Harry began to hide the children in the ruins. As Harry shoved twin first years, a girl and a boy, behind a bush, he gasped in surprise as he saw Draco Malfoy's pinched white face. Draco scoffed and eyed him in disdain. 

"What? Did you forget about me, Potter?" He sneered. 

"Bugger off, Malfoy. Where's Hermione and Artemis?" Harry said, waving his hand. 

Draco jerked his hand in the direction of the bushes beside him. The two girls were peering cautiously from where Malfoy had just pointed and both their faces were almost as pinched and white as his. Harry cast a weak smile in their direction, but sobered as he turned back to Malfoy.

"We've got to do something to help the others." Harry said firmly. 

Draco's thin lips curled in disgust and he scoffed, his fists clenching at his sides.

"What are you talking about, Potter? We can't do anything at all! It's best just to leave it to the adults." Draco said firmly, a spark of wild-eyed anger in his gaze. 

"Come _on_ Draco!" Harry spat. "We can't just _leave_ them! We're fifth years! We can make it! We know enough magic to get us through!" Harry insisted. 

Draco shook his head emphatically and leaned closer till his face was a mere few inches away from Harry's.

"You don't understand, _do_ you, Potter? I've seen Death Eaters in action. More often than _you_ have, I'm _sure_!" Draco spat venomously. "It doesn't matter how many people we have, or how much magic we know, Death Eaters _always_ win." Draco finished, his eyes narrowed to mere slits. 

Harry stared at Draco in calm realization. Draco was not merely saying these words. He was _reciting_ them. He had been told this, had seen it proven many times. It was then that Harry noticed the twinge of fear that was just visible in the boy's harsh gray eyes. Then Harry realized something. If Draco fought on the side of Hogwarts, what would his father say? His father, Lucius Malfoy, a _Death Eater_. Harry understood. Well, he _thought_ he did anyway. Were he in Draco's position, he would have said the same. He'd have seen nothing to prove those words otherwise. Well, he'd just have to prove Draco wrong himself.

"Draco, you stay here with Artemis and Hermione. Keep them safe. If anything happens, get them out of here and into a safe place. You'll be our only hope if there's none of us left." Harry said, backing out of the bushes. 

Draco's white face remained tense and taut as Harry backed away, then he let loose a scoff, that sounded to Harry like he was choking on a Canary Creme.

"No pressure, right, Potter?" Draco blurted out. 

Harry grinned slightly and shrugged. 

"Just do it. See you." 

Harry quickly slipped out of the bushes and out of sight. Draco stared hard at the empty space of greenery that Harry had just left. Then he glanced back at Artemis and Hermione, both of whom were obviously eager to leave their hiding spots and help in the fight that the adults were actively and passionately participating in all around him. Draco stared around the battlefield, at the few remaining witches and wizards in the sky, at the witches and wizards fighting the Death Eaters, Dementors and Garroters on the ground. Draco's cold gray eyes fixed on the Death Eaters, watching calmly as one of them cruelly choked a witch to death, and laughed as he did so. There was no hope.

__

Why do they even bother? It's pointless to fight against the Dark Lord. _Voldemort always wins._ Draco thought helplessly. _Voldemort always wins._

Draco raised his eyebrows only slightly as he saw a witch, no more than a year older than he, fling a fellow witch aside, taking the blow of the curse that had been meant for the other. Her body jolted cruelly, then dropped to the ground, her limbs spread grotesquely on the grass. A slow sense of realization spread through Draco as he watched another wizard give his life for another, then another witch do the same for a fellow wizard. He realized that they bothered to try because they could do nothing _but_ try. They could not get anywhere unless they tried. Even if their efforts were futile, at least they could say they tried. It was more than he had ever done in his life. 

Draco stared out at the battlefield a moment more, stared at the hideous Death Eaters, then at the witches and wizards of Hogwarts. Back and forth, good and evil, life and death. Draco leapt to his feet silently, crept over to Artemis and Hermione and tapped them on their shoulders. 

"Stay here. Get out if things go bad." He whispered, stepping out of the bushes, drawing his wand from his robes as he did so. Artemis grasped the hem of his robes frantically. 

"What are you doing?" She whispered harshly. 

Draco cast a nervous half-smile in her direction, then jerked his robes from her grasp. 

"I'm going to fight for Hogwarts. And don't pull on me again, otherwise I might come back and _stay_ back." 

With that said, Draco Malfoy took a deep gulp of fresh air, then rushed out into the open, his robes billowing behind him like a black sail. Hermione stared after Draco in disbelief, Artemis in quiet regret. Both regretted being left behind, but both knew it was for the best. They were needed for other reasons than for fighting. Their reason for fighting was clustered around them, each possessing a frantic, frightened face. A group of first and second years were huddled together beside them, wincing at the curses and screams that were all too close for their comfort. Artemis and Hermione stared at each other in determination, then looked out over the children's heads. 

"What's the matter?" Artemis whispered. 

One first year raised her frightened, tear-stained face to Artemis, her chin quivering. 

"We're afraid." She whispered. 

Hermione smiled and reached into her pocket for a handkerchief, then wiped the tears from the girl's face, smiling encouragingly. 

"Don't worry. We're fifth years and we can protect you." 

A little boy rubbed his tears fiercely from his face and stared at them plaintively. 

"Really?" 

"Of course!" Hermione said stoutly and with such a determined air that several of the children brightened at once. "There are so many spells that our witches and wizards can put into play. Haven't _any_ of you ever read, '_Hogwarts: A History_'?" 

All the children eyed each other, then glanced at Hermione and shook their small heads. Hermione clucked her tongue, then lit into one of the more exciting tales of the Hogwarts four, of the creation of Hogwarts, drawing the children's minds away from the battle only a few feet away from them, and bringing them into the world before that one.

Draco panted as he shoved through the crowds and dodged many curses, trying to approach Harry, who stood in the heart of it all fighting vigorously.

_Leave it to Potter to get right in the thick of things so he can show off. Bloody prat._

As he ran, he shoved into several Death Eaters. Just barely jogging their elbow seemed like too much for him to risk, but he did it anyway, in an act of pure defiance. The dark robed figures seemed to stare at him..........but no. They went back to their business, fighting on, slicing through their opponents fiercely. Harry stared at Draco in surprise as the Slytherin cast a curse that flung one of the Death Eaters aside, clearing his and Harry's path. 

"I thought I told you to stay with the girls!" Harry yelled over the din. 

Draco scoffed, cursing a Garrotter with the "_Spritus Lumen_" spell, and watching with relish as it disintegrated. 

"I don't listen to anybody, Potter! I'm a Malfoy and I'll do as I please." Draco yelled. 

Harry disguised the look of mirth that threatened to spread across his face, and instead turned back to the battle in front of him. He never would have suspected in a million years that he would be fighting alongside Draco Malfoy, the very Draco Malfoy whose whole world was the Dark Arts and the secrets they held.

Flanking Harry and Draco, Ron held his wand in his uninjured arm, doing his best to keep up with the others. Ginny stood beside him, helping him from time to time, doing her best to fight alongside him and protect him. Their faces were sweaty, some were bruised and bloodstained, but they fought on, the young wizards and witches alongside the old, both fighting against the evil that threatened to consume them. 

So enrapt in the battle was Harry, that when a body crashed into him, he screamed loudly as he fell to the ground. He lay there for a moment, anticipating a death blow or some twinge of pain, but he felt nothing. He slowly raised himself up on his elbows and gazed at the person with whom he'd collided. Beside him, lay Rhiannon Flutterae, her eyes wide in pain as she breathed harshly. One hand grasped rhythmically at her chest, a large blood-stain blossoming beneath it, slowly covering her robes in a dull, rusty red. 

"Professor!" Harry whispered breathlessly, grabbing at the hand that lay limp at her side.

Rhiannon shook her head, gasping for breath, her other hand continuing to grasp at the wound on her chest. Harry swallowed the bile that lay tensed at the back of his throat as he stared down at the bloody, but still white face of his teacher. He jumped in surprise as she stared fixedly at him and grabbed frantically at his robes. 

"He's taking too long. Listen, Harry." Rhiannon gasped. "You've got to go to Severus." 

Harry stared at her in disbelief, trying to interpret what she was asking of him. 

"Professor Snape? But why? Why," He whispered. 

"Don't ask questions, Potter!" Draco snapped from above him. Harry glanced at him, then looked down at Rhiannon. Her eyes rolled back in her head a moment, then fixed on Harry, though it looked hard for her to keep them fixed there.

"In the Infirmary, with Fred and George. Go to him. Help him." She wheezed, her voice barely audible. 

"But Professor, he's probably going to help Voldemort, isn't he? I haven't seen him at all, the whole battle!" Harry whispered urgently. Rhiannon's pain-filled eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Harry in confusion. 

"Severus?" She rasped. "No! Never Severus. Go to him, Harry. Help him. Go, now! Before it's too late. Must execute the spell. Go, now!" She gasped, pushing him away. Harry stumbled to his feet, his eyes never leaving his teacher's face. She winced, then slowly removed her hand from her chest, then gasped as she quickly sat upright. Harry fell to his knees once more, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"No, Professor! You must rest." Harry said worriedly. 

Rhiannon shook her head wearily and cast his hand from her shoulder in aggravation. 

"Help me up, Draco." She said firmly, pain lacing her voice with every word she spoke. 

Draco quickly bent down and extended his white hand, taking the bloodstained hand of Rhiannon and pulling her to her feet. Rhiannon staggered and bit back a moan as she stood. She gazed at Draco, then at Harry, and nodded firmly, before limping back onto the battlefield.

Harry watched her anxiously, unsure whether to disobey her, or to do as she had asked of him. Helping Snape was the last thing he wanted to do right now. He had never trusted Snape, but he had proved himself today. But then again, Moody had supposedly done the same. Harry never would have dreamed that Moody was the enemy. Everyone had trusted him, including Dumbledore. Perhaps that whole thing of fighting Voldemort in the chamber and getting rid of the constrogos was all a ruse to make them all think that Snape was on their side. 

Harry gazed at the Headmaster, who was fighting vigorously only a few feet away. It was a shocking thing, to see his Headmaster fighting like that, his wand out and moving so fast it was a blur. Dementors seemed to flock to him in droves, but Dumbledore dispatched every one that approached him. His soft blue eyes were now alight with a vivacity that Harry was sure he had never seen in his Headmaster's face. What would _he_ say about this? Did he still believe that Snape was not working for Voldemort? 

As if Dumbledore had heard Harry's secret thoughts, he dispatched of another Dementor, then turned to face Harry, his gentle face hardened, his lips pursed. There was only one thought reflected in those familiar blue eyes. 

__

Trust him. _Go before it is too late!_

Could he trust Snape? But now Harry knew, he had no choice _but_ to trust him. Hogwarts depended on it. 

"Potter, get OUT of here!" Draco yelled fiercely, deflecting a curse cast in his direction. 

Harry acted, spurring his feet into movement and running as fast as he could towards the castle. He avoided several curses, sometimes having to duck, other times having to jump in the air to avoid being hit. A curse whizzed by his head, brushing past his hair with a sizzle. He finally made it into the castle and slammed the door shut as a curse moved to hit him dead on. It slammed against the door with a resounding thud and ricocheted into a pillar. Harry threw himself from the door and began running, frantically trying find the Hospital Wing. 

He very soon realized that finding his way through the rubble was going to be the hardest part. Everything, the rocks, fallen tapestries and pictures threw him off course. Just when he thought he recognized a fallen picture on the floor, he'd realize that it had been blown from several corridors down and he'd have to backtrack. But finally, he got his bearings when he found the statue of Aznazz the Sullen still standing and ran down the adjacent hall.

Another corridor down, Harry stopped dead. He'd found it. There were the rocks that he'd tried to move from the doorway when Draco had dragged him away from it. He threw himself on the pile of rocks, moving them aside quickly, ignoring the spurts of pain that leapt to his palms as the sharp edges of the rocks cut into them. Finally, he made a path, and ran through the broken-down doorway of the Hospital wing. Rocks and dust littered the Infirmary itself. Many of the beds were brown with dust, some of them had been destroyed by falling rocks, but to Harry's relief, the two beds where Fred and George lay and the areas around them were spotless. 

__

A Shielding spell. Harry realized as he ran towards them. 

Then, what he saw before him, caused him to cry out in shock. Both twins lay on beds before Severus Snape, and he was _cutting_ into one of them. Snape held a small silver knife in his hands and was delicately cutting into the flesh of one of the twins' outstretched arms. Snape jumped as Harry yelled, then glared at him disapprovingly as he slipped the sliver of flesh into a vial and sealed it shut. 

"What are you doing here, Potter? I need help, not distractions!" Snape snarled.

Harry stormed over to him angrily, eyeing the two vials on the bedside table, each containing a sliver of white flesh. Harry gazed at Fred and George and saw identical strips of exposed flesh and blood that poured from them where their skin and flesh had been removed.

"I'm here to stop you from _killing_ them!" Harry yelled accusingly. Snape glared at Harry, then scoffed loudly. He glanced warily at the ceiling as an explosion rocked the castle, littering dust and rocks all around them, but never touching Snape, Fred or George. 

"Foolish boy." Snape spat, picking up a vial in each hand. "Did Rhiannon send you to me?" He asked pointedly. Harry nodded silently. "Then help me. I'd rather I had Rhiannon, but I'll take what I can at this point." Snape muttered, eyeing the vials intently. 

Snape gestured towards a vial on the table, filled to the brim with a vivid purple liquid, which bubbled madly in its container. Harry did not know how to react. He had to trust Rhiannon. But he would never forgive himself if he passed that vial to Snape, and it was to be used to kill Fred and George, or to harm Hogwarts in any way. But he had no choice. Harry quickly passed the vial to him then stared hard at the twins, mentally comparing them. They both looked exactly the same, just as they had the day of the _Lucrum Insperatum_. Both white, both covered with scabs, both, 

"Not _breathing_! Are they even breathing?" Harry gasped. 

Snape did not even look up at him, but instead carefully slipped the two pieces of flesh into the vial of bubbling liquid. 

"Of course. Just barely. But it's perfect for what we need." Snape whispered, his tone low in concentration, his eyes fixed on the vial and the flesh was slipping into it. 

He slipped the cork in the vial, then carefully took the vial between two fingers and shook it hard, causing the bubbles to fluctuate and grow immensely. As the bubbles pushed and strained against the cork, Snape removed the blockage, and immediately the bubbles receded, leaving the potion a faint pink. 

Carefully, Snape tipped the vial over one of the twins' open mouths and slipped a few drops into it, then did the same to the other twin. The remainder of the vial he spilled on the floor in a small circle, all the while muttering words Harry didn't understand under his breath. After he finished the incantation, he set the heavily smoking vial on the table beside him, breathing deeply, his dark eyes fixed on the twins. Harry watched as the Weasley twins' faces became paler and their breathing shallower, until.............it stopped. Harry's breath caught in his throat as he stared at them, but Snape put a hand on his shoulder. 

"_They_ won't let them leave us. Be quiet." 

Snape's words, though brusque, stayed Harry's cry as he stared at the boys. Slowly, the twins' chests began to rise and fall once more, faster now, their faces becoming pinker, more full of life. 

"Now we see if it works." Snape whispered, his hand remaining fixed on Harry's shoulder, as if he'd forgotten whose shoulder it was. 

Harry watched breathlessly as the twins became more animated, their breathing deeper. Then he watched in surprise and awe at the beings that emerged from the smoking vial and the circle of pink liquid on the floor, slowly surrounding him, enveloping him, Snape and the twins in a hazy mist................

Draco Malfoy cast another curse at a Death Eater, wincing at the pain in his arm as he flicked his wand. He'd been knicked by the '_Disintigro_' spell, and his fingers felt as though they would fall off any minute. Beside him, Ron Weasley fought as best he could, though that wasn't much. He winced in pain as his arm was jostled, and Draco was sure that if he kept at it, he was sure to hurl all over himself. Ginny Weasley was moving between the two of them, making sure they were both alright to keep going. She knew a few healing spells and Draco now believed that those spells were the only things keeping his fingers attached to his hand and Ron's bile in his stomach. 

"Are you alright, Ron?" The girl whispered, casting a curse vigorously at a Death Eater, then wincing as she heard its recipient scream in agony. 

Ron nodded, his pale face shining with beads of sweat. Suddenly, Draco's own face broke out in a violent sweat as he saw a Death Eater lunge at him, but miss, falling to the ground as Draco jumped aside. As the Death Eater got to his feet, Draco fiercely pushed Ron and Ginny away. 

"Get out of here!" He hissed, standing erect. 

Ginny stifled her cry of horror as Ron limped away with her, trying to get out of the Death Eater's path. Draco's hands were now slippery with sweat as he grasped his wand frantically. His legs felt weak and rubbery as the Death Eater stood and turned to face him, his wand raised. Draco did the same, knowing that he could not fight a Death Eater this close. He _knew_ that he couldn't. It was over. No more Draco Malfoy. End of the line. Zip. Zero. Nada. The End. But before the Death Eater could strike, a strangled yell came to both of their ears. 

"Don't harm him! He's my son!" 

Draco whirled about to face the Death Eater who had yelled from across the courtyard. Then he stared wildly at the Death Eater before him. The Death Eater had jolted in surprise, stared at Draco a moment, then left him without another word. Draco stood still as if rooted in place. His father knew he was here.

But Draco did not have much time to react to this knowledge, for a loud cry from one of the remaining Hogwarts towers quickly caught his attention. For a moment, the battling ceased as all wizards, witches, Death Eaters and Garotters, and even Voldemort, who was standing triumphantly on a pile of bricks disposing of his victims, turned to look for the source. On the tower stood Severus Snape, cold and unyielding as always, but beside him stood a grinning Harry Potter, his eyes alight and sparkling as gray shapes flew past him and all around him. The people and creatures on the ground stared at the beings as they swooped below and swirled around them, never becoming any definite shape. Rhiannon, who rested against Dumbledore and Bill near one of the collapsed walls, grinned and threw her arms out rapturously, her eyes closed in happiness. 

Professor McGonagall, who stood near Dumbledore, Bill and Rhiannon, shielding them from the wildly flying curses, placed her veined hands to her thin lips, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Ginny stared in surprise and amazement as she held up an equally surprised Ron up with one arm. Sirius let out a loud laugh and flung his arms outward as the gray shadows encircled him, filling him in an unexplainable inner joy. A smile fluttered across Remus' face as he gently closed his eyes and just let the shapes flow through and around him. 

The Death Eaters cowered and shuddered as the beings flew towards them and encircled them with a vengeance. Even Voldemort flung his hands in the air to ward off the creatures as he stared at the hundreds of beings in horror. Draco placed his hand out amidst one of the shapes, staring wondrously as it seeped through his white fingers, no body or matter confining it to the boundaries of earth. 

"How much time, Severus?!" Rhiannon cried out, staring up at the Potions Master. 

Snape held up his hands. 

"Forty-five minutes." He yelled, his deep voice booming across the battlefield. 

Rhiannon nodded and winced, then stood shakily, raising her wand high in the air with a battle cry. 

"For Hogwarts!" Rhiannon screamed as she rushed into the melee of battle once more, a gray shape flying close at her side. 

The wizards and witches screamed and rushed upon their oppressors, each with a gray phantasm beside them. Draco stared at them in wonder and in confusion as they rushed upon their enemy with an unexplainable vigor, the beings beside them following and standing in front of them at times, blocking the curses and hands that stretched out at the witches and wizards behind them. 

Then as a gray shape settled beside Draco, he stared at it in wonder. The being materialized, gained a shape, a form, and Martin Wothes grinned broadly beside him. Draco's mouth fell open as he stared at the phantasm. He didn't know whether or not to be happy or to be filled with despair and horror. Martin simply grinned, then sobered and jumped in front of Draco, deflecting a curse that was cast directly at Draco's chest. 

"Well, Draco, we've got forty-five minutes to win this battle! You ready to work with me?" Martin asked. 

Draco shook his head in amazement, still unable to believe what was happening. 

"But, I, I, what happened? What's going on?" Draco stuttered. 

"Don't worry about it, Draco. I'm your partner. No hard feelings. You've already proven yourself past your evil deeds, so let's win this battle, huh?" Martin said encouragingly, deflecting another curse as Draco stared at him. "You know you could help me out a bit here." Martin said wryly. 

"But you're _dead_!" Draco blurted out. 

Martin shrugged and smiled, throwing his hands in the air. 

"Yep. Resurrection spell. Pretty wicked. I'll hafta thank Fred and George later. But can we get on with the battle _now_?" Martin pleaded. Suddenly Draco grinned and raised his wand erect, rushing into the battle, Martin on his heels.

Sirius Black cut through his enemies like a knife, a grim smile on his face as he did so. The sight of the wizards in the air with him and the young wizards fighting below sent a shiver up and down his spine, for though he did not want this war to happen, he was thrilled at the sight of unity it brought, and the thrill of joy that filled him because of the wraith standing beside him. James Potter stood beside him, deflecting curses back at the Death Eater's wands, his eyes shining as he occasionally turned to grin at Sirius, then turned to grin at Remus on his other side. Then Sirius would watch as James would swoop down to frighten off a Death Eater if only to catch a small glimpse of his son who ran through the battle, fighting like the warrior his father had always been. 

Harry could not stop grinning, even as he heard the cries of death beside him and all around him. His Mum was with him. His _Mum_. She was there, beside him, a light in her eyes that he thought he'd never ever see. She deflected the curses thrown precariously in his direction, keeping him safe from harm as she had wished to do in life. 

Snape was now down among the witches and wizards of Hogwarts, his wand out and thrashing wildly. Harry noticed with a frown that the Death Eaters were targeting him specifically and had nearly gotten to him, and would have, had the malicious ghost at his side not lit into them with a vengeance. Harry's eyes widened in surprise as he saw three figures emerge from the fallen walls of Hogwarts, two women, helped along by a scraggly man: Madame Pomfrey, Madame Pince and Argus Filch. Even Mrs. Norris crept from the shadows, skulking in her Master's shadow.

Harry grinned as he saw Artemis and Hermione rush out of the bushes, a group of excited first years following beside them, gray shapes following each one. Voldemort stood at the center of the melee, frozen as several phantasms whirled about him dizzyingly. Though Voldemort showed no sign of realizing the wraiths' presence, he stood too stiffly to not know that they were indeed there. He looked almost frightened, almost panicked at the ghosts' presence. Harry grinned and crowed in triumph right there in the middle of the battle. His cry was taken up by Ron, then by Ginny, then by Hermione and Artemis, then Sirius and Remus, till it passed through the entire lines of witches and wizards fighting against the darkness that threatened to surround them. 

Harry then noticed with worry that Artemis had been separated from the ghost that followed her. A Death Eater rushed towards her, grabbed her arm and prepared to strike her down. Harry watched in horror and disbelief as Draco ran and jumped, falling on top of the Death Eater before he could let loose the killing blow upon the girl. Artemis ran off with the ghost that protected her at its urging, but still cast worried glances back at Draco. Martin hovered worriedly above Draco as he grappled with the Death Eater. In the tussle, the Death Eater's hood was thrown back from his face, his white mask falling askew and Draco stared at him in horror. There in the center of the folds, was Lucius Malfoy, his gray eyes wide and flashing.

Draco stared at him, then finally came to life. He struggled with his father's strong grip, trying to escape. Lucius Malfoy held on tightly to his son's muscular arms. It was now man against man. Draco had tasted victory on the battlefield, he would not be brought down now. Lucius too, had this vivacity, but also had pride for his family, for what it stood for, and this sight before him had filled him with such dread and horror that he could barely speak. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Lucius finally hissed. 

Draco sneered as he scratched his father's arm in his effort to escape his powerful hands. 

"Trying to fight for a right cause. Isn't that what you've always taught me to do?" Draco snarled. 

"I've taught you to follow the Dark Lord! Yet you save a girl, our _enemy_, and," Lucius was cut off by Draco as he attempted to speak. 

"_Your_ enemy, _Father_." Draco sneered.

Lucius stared hard at his son as he began to shake him madly. 

"What has happened to you? What are you thinking? Come and fight on our side! Do what I've taught you since you were a child!" Lucius cried out angrily. 

Draco cried out as Lucius' nails pressed into his white flesh. 

"I WON'T! I won't do what you want me to do! I'll be who I want to be! I care for that girl and she cares for me! She _trusts_ me! And I don't care if she's a Gryffindor, and I don't CARE what YOU say! I've got pride too, you know! And my pride is more centered here than it is in the Malfoy name!" Draco screamed. "For me, the Malfoy name has brought me nothing! NOTHING! I buy my way into everything and everyone hates me! EVERYONE! ALL BECAUSE I'M A MALFOY AND I'M TIRED OF IT! I DON'T WANT TO BE A MALFOY! I DON'T WANT TO BE KNOWN AS YOUR SON!" Draco finished angrily, grabbing at Lucius' sleeve and pulling it up to reveal the black mark of Voldemort on his father's arm. He stabbed at it angrily with his finger, causing his father to let loose a slight gasp that hissed through his clenched teeth. "YOU SEE THAT? I DON'T WANT THAT MARK UPON MY ARM! I DON'T WANT WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER! I DON'T WANT IT!" Draco screamed. 

Lucius stared at his son in horror, then snarled as he drew a knife from his robes and held it to his son's white neck.

"If that is the way you want it, _son_." He hissed, starting to press the knife into the soft flesh of Draco's neck. 

Draco winced, then cried out, preparing to feel the blade enter his throat at any moment.

But he never felt it. Before Lucius could deliver the blow, he was delivered a sharp kick in the head from above him. Draco leapt to his feet and grabbed the knife from his father's hand, grasping it in his own hands, then looking up at his rescuer. Sirius Black stared down at him grimly from his broomstick, first at him, then at the knife the boy held in his trembling fingers. Draco stared at the man, then back down at his father. His father waited in anticipation for his son to deliver the killing blow. But he too, never felt it, for Draco threw the knife to the ground and grasped Sirius' extended hand, flying into the air with him. Lucius leapt to his feet in disbelief, staring at his son as he flew away with Sirius Black, soaring high above the battlements. He had lost him.

Even with the wraiths beside the witches and wizards of Hogwarts, the casualties and injuries were mounting as Death Eaters returned to a more physical way of destroying their prey. Even the wraiths could not protect their charge from the stabbing of a knife. Harry eyed his friends and allies worriedly as more and more of them fell under the wild stabs, the deadly kisses, and the hangman's nooses of the Death Eaters, Dementors and Garrotters. But just as it seemed that all had failed, a sudden explosion rocked the countryside and Harry tripped over his own feet, falling to the earth. 

He looked up at his Mother and saw her look of fright as she looked past him, her hand resting on her gray lips. Harry slowly looked up, worried as to what he might see. It was a Death Eater, his knife drawn and already bloody from its previous victim. A low moan emerged from the throat of Lily Potter and she hid her face from the sight, sensing what would happen next. Harry did not get to his feet. Instead he crawled backwards, trying to keep the Death Eater moving for a long as possible. It certainly worked, but it quickly grew old. 

A moment later, the Death Eater let out a howl of aggravation and raised the knife high in the air. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and covered his head. Another explosion rocked the ground and Harry saw the Death Eater's feet stumble over each other. Harry, sensing the Death Eater's uncertain steps, got to his feet and pushed the Death Eater hard as the ground began to rock once more. Harry could do nothing more for the ground was shaking so hard he could barely keep himself erect. As he fell to the ground once more and felt the coldness of his Mother's hand on his back, he looked up and beyond the Death Eater in astonishment. 

Storming the castle, long legs and arms waving, were hundreds of giants. Real giants. They were huge, even larger than Hagrid. It was almost hard to tell the women from the men, for both had long, rough hair that fell past their waists. Their arms and legs were huge and thick like slabs of meat, and their tremendous mouths were open wide in an identical battle cry. Even as Harry stared, a particularly hairy giant knocked the Death Eater above him across the grass. The giant, a woman, eyed him fixedly, then stomped across the field, careful to watch where she stepped. Harry jumped to his feet and grinned as he saw Hagrid run across the grass, careful to avoid the Death Eaters' curses ringing around him, his umbrella out and flailing with a vengeance. Harry grinned broadly. So, the pieces of Hagrid's wand _were_ in his umbrella. 

Madame Maxime was beside Hagrid, blushing madly as he laughed loudly beside her. Several of the giants bent down to talk to the two half-giants, then took off across the grounds in the direction that they pointed them towards. The giants made quick work of the Garrotters and Dementors, for the giants were too large and the creatures did not wish to mess with the brute strength of the giants. Magic did little to the giants, for they could simply deflect the curse by picking up a large stone and holding it in front of them. Combined with the ghosts of ages past, there was no chance for the enemy. 

Voldemort stood in the center of the battlefield, hands clenched, eyes narrowed as he stared at the wizard on the opposite end of the battlefield. Dumbledore stood still, watching Voldemort, his veined hands clasped gently in front of him, his soft eyes staring unnervingly at Voldemort. And in that gaze, was a look of knowing. A knowing, that Voldemort hated, for he knew as Dumbledore did: He had lost. The evil would not prevail today. Dumbledore stared at Voldemort and smiled knowingly as the children of Hogwarts and their peers fought alongside each other in unity. 

Harry knew very little about the man, or creature Voldemort was. He knew that he had once been a vibrant, power hungry youth named Tom Riddle, who hated all Muggles, and that from that boy had arisen this bitter and hate-filled monster. Harry knew that he had killed his parents, Lilly and James Potter, in cold blood, and had killed _his_ own father, simply because he was a Muggle. Other than that, Harry had no clue what had formed and shaped this monster. He had no clue what horrors he had seen in his lifetime, nor the pain he had felt that had made him this bitter creature, who took such pleasure in watching others suffer. But Harry did know one thing about Voldemort: he knew how to pick his fights. He knew when he was defeated.

Harry watched as Voldemort let out a painful scream and threw his thin arms in the air. The Death Eaters, Dementors and Garotters halted where they stood and turned to eye Voldemort. He watched as Voldemort cast his wand around himself, drawing what seemed to be a dark veil around himself and his warriors. The dark veil went around the Death Eaters, Garrotters and Dementors, hiding them from view and casting them away from Hogwarts. He watched as Peter Pettigrew, whom Harry had not seen for a great part of the battle, white faced and trembling, pocketed his wand and closed his eyes as the veil was drawn around him and he disappeared from sight. Voldemort was the last one to be seen, his narrowed, red eyes, the last thing that all around him saw, as he glared at Dumbledore. Then there was nothing. 

The witches and wizards of Hogwarts were alone.

************************************************************************

**__**

Author's Note: 

I have some wonderful news: *coughs*.......................

I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED MY NOVEL!!!!!!!

YEAAHHH!!!! *does happy hobbit dance and jumps around* I am so ecstatic, I can't tell you!! My goodness!! For those of you who didn't know, I've been writing a novel, and NOW IT'S DONE!!! YESSSSS!!!!! What's next, you ask? Now I've just got to go through and re-edit for the ten bajillionth time. I'm a great lover of editing. I find it impossible to NOT edit. Editing is your friend, remember that. It saves you from being embarrassed. ;-) But anyway, as soon as I finish that, I will be turning it into a family friend, who, I JUST found out, incidentally, is an editor.................don't ask me WHY this never came up at family gatherings or anything. *sighs* But anyway, I shall be turning it into her to get her opinion, and possibly will be able to get hooked up with a publishing company through her. If I do, you guys, well, besides my fam., will be the first ones to know! I'm not even sure if I'll be able to, depends on the contract and stuff, but if I'm allowed an amount of space for a dedication, you guys will be on the list. :-) So I'll be sure to keep you guys updated. If it does get published, I'll let you know the date and the title and all that jazz. *shudders with happiness* Won't that just be swell? Okay, okay, back to the story. Get back to the story, T.H.! :-)

Well, I've done my calculations, and those calculations said that most of you have seen TTT at least 5 times............that is JUST not fair. Especially since I'm now suffering from Legolas withdrawl. *sniffle* Oh well, I'll just have to wait till it comes out on video.........actually, i don't think I'll last that long. But I won't waste away from lack of Legolas till this story's finished, 'kay? ;-) _Well, I hope you guys all liked this chapter! I certainly enjoyed writing it! Really cool, I thought. The next chapter is gonna be HUGE, mainly because it's a whole big explanation to most of the stuff that has happened in this story. Cool, yes? I know that's what you all have been waiting for!! :-) Yes, I'll explain the 'Resurrection Spell'. I'm sure you guys are wondering about that, if I'm staying true to the books. I am, but I can't tell you how. You'll just have to wait for the next chappie. ;-) There's more HP book info at the end of the Thank You's. Thank you guys so much for taking time to read my humble little story. I really appreciate all your thoughts!! Thanks so much!!!_

__

P.S. Oh yeah, I just wanted to say, in reference to that stuff Harry was thinking as he watched Voldemort leave the battlefield, I know what happened to Tom Riddle, the boy who became Voldemort. You wanna know? Read this story, "The Tale of Tom Riddle", by Torrential Zephyr. It is the coolest account of Tom Riddle's life. It's SO cool! The author does all this stuff, includes all these little clues throughout the story, references to events in Tom's later life. It is SO cool! I reccomend it highly! Maybe if tons of you read and review, it'll get updated!! ;-)  


**__**

Gold Eyed Falcon: Hey! Great to see you! Welcome to the story! Thanks for all the other reviews you've given me! You're so awesome! :-) I understand completely that it's taken you at least a week to read this. It's awfully long, ain't it? :-) It's my baby. ;-) Thank you so much for all your compliments! I'm blushing! :-) I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you so much for reviewing!! 

****

Curly29: Lol!! I'm really glad that you like the story! Hopefully, this chapter satisfied your thirst for our beloved Weasley twins. ;-) Don't worry, there'll be more of their mischief before the story is over!!

****

Moanda: _Hey!! Welcome to the story!! I'm really glad that you found it and got through it! ;-) It is awfully long. I love it when Lupin and Sirius come too! They're so awesome, especially Sirius. He's such a rogue. *chuckles* You like Ron/Hermione too?? ME TOO!! Nothing but. I mean, c'mon. Harry/Hermione?? Naaahhhh. I love Ron too! He's my absolute favorite character of Harry, Ron and Hermione. He's just so fun to write! He's the one who's got most of the funny one-liner's in all these freaky chapters! I hope the good wizards kicked enough Voldemort butt for your taste! ;-) Thanks so much for reviewing!!_

P.S. YOU GOT TO SEE TT 4 TIMES!! Bloody hell. That's not fair. If I had seen it four times, I'd wanna see it again too. ;-)

****

Takari4ever7: Thank you so much!! Tell your roommate that I apologize for writing such a story that you kept muttering to yourself! ;-) _That's really cool though! It really gives me a rush to know that people enjoy something that **I'VE** written so much, that they get into it in ways I never would have imagined. I hope this story was a good fight scene! It was kinda hard to write, not especially, but somewhat. Hope it turned out well! Thanks for reviewing! :-)_  


**__**

Leaf: Hello buddy! How are ya doin'? I'm really glad you liked the previous chapter! I hope you like this one just as much. *sniffle* Poor Jessica. But hey, at least she died for what she believed in and helped push the war to a climax! _Thanks so much for reviewing!!_

****

Sara Minks: Hey!! Great to see you! I haven't seen you in AGES!! How are you doin'? Good I hope! I'm really glad you got to come and read! I don't know about that whole Dumbledore-look-of-triumph thing either!! It's completely baffling and totally obnoxious. I don't know. I just can't wait until it's explained! *turns Bambi eyes on J.K. Rowling* My goodness, aren't you clever? Thinking of Dumbledore's brother. Goodness, you're clever. I think it probably COULD come into play. It's not an aspect that many people think of. Very sharp! Keep those eyes open! Okay, on the Wormtail issue. More often than not, I find myself comparing Peter to Neville. One could question why NEVILLE was placed in Gryffindor as well. The Sorting Hat never places someone in a house that they're not suited to. There was a reason why Peter was placed in Gryffindor, just as Neville was. We've seen that Neville is brave, i.e. trying to stop Ron, Hermione, and Harry in Sorcerer's Stone, holding up with his parents' madness all his life, keeping that knowledge from his friends. I think that Peter's cowardice will be explained in time, and I ALSO believe that his debt will be his undoing. Keep in mind that he is indebted to Harry for saving his life. Because he was a Gryffindor, even if he is a Death Eater now, he will hold himself to that debt. I don't believe that Peter is completely evil, mainly because he's too cowardly. There are still ties that he holds inside, one of them, I believe, being the fact that Harry is James' son. Keep those thoughts in mind. Those are just my opinions, but what the heck. :-) I'm really glad that you thought the previous chapter was the best one! *chuckle* I've been getting alot of that over the last few chapters. ;-) Sorry that it took so long to update. I hope your happiness wasn't hanging in the balance too long! ;-)   
  
**_Quiet One: _**Hey! Good to see you!! Well, I know it MUST be good if you can't review while you're reading because you're so wrapped up in it! *blushes hotly* Thank you SO much for ALL your compliments! You're too kind! I can only aspire to be as good a writer as you guys say I am! :-) I hope you liked this chapter as much as the previous one! I just can't stand to make a completely sober chapter! It's just imbedded in me. I just have to add some little one-liner in there to lighten things up a bit. Too much horror and evil stuff just wigs me out. A little humor is just something that needs to happen. :-) I can't wait for the fifth book either!! It's gonna be soooo wicked! But I'm glad that this fic is keeping your thirst for Harry Potterdom sated for the time being. Me too. ;-) *sigh* _You and me both. We both love elves. I loved the soundtrack! I've got that! Finally got a hold of it. :-) Isn't Legolas JUST wonderful looking?? I agree with you totally. Legolas isn't HOT. It just doesn't seem appropriate. Hmmm, Aragorn or Legolas. I think there's a definite difference between the two._ _See, Aragorn is ruggedly handsome, while Legolas looks are ethereal, totally amazing and mind-numbing._ _It's not confusing at all! I'm with you all the way on the Legolas and Aragorn looks issue. ;-)_ _Ah, yes. One of our favorite elf's many great lines: "You're late." Here, want it in Elvish? _

****

Le ab-dollen. 

__

Now you can tell your friends that when they're late and can giggle when they don't know what the heck you're talking about. I'm so lucky. I found the TTT script and am now using that to curb my desire to see it again. :-) I can't see it anyway, as it's not out here anymore. Curses. Latin does get TONS easier as soon as you master the declensions. They just can get SO confusing. I totally understand what you're saying. That was my weak point. Oh yes, page long translations! I remember those! Lol! We never had to do the comic strip thing though, but we did have that as an exercise. The comic was already drawn and the captions were in there, but we had to translate. Oh yes, latin is a VERY handy language. Not only with modern English, but with other languages. It is the root of all the Romance languages, which were derived from Latin. They include: French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. There! Now once you've mastered Latin, go for the Romance languages!! ;-) LOL! You're very right! It can sound very harsh in some cases! And people don't know WHAT you're saying and they won't ever because kids rarely take Latin because it's not "useful". Whatever. They'll say that when they're trying to master 12th grade vocabulary. Heh-heh.   
Oh goodness! A god of fiction!! Wow!! I've risen in status! Thank you, truly! :-) I did read your Helms Deep fic actually! I just haven't had the time to review! But it was VERY good!! Very sad, but VERY good! Cool! I'm really glad you could understand the spells in this fic. No, it's not stupid to get all ahppy when you are able to see the Latin and understand it! That's great! It's just proving to yourself that you ARE understanding the language, no matter how bloody obnoxious or boring it gets! Nothing to feel stupid about!! GAK! YOU SAW TTT five times!!!..........I'm extremely put out. ;-) Just playin'. Wish I could have seen it that many times, but as I said before, I've got the script to hold me off till it comes out on video. Whenever THAT is. ;-) Oh thank you! Trust me! If I get my book published, you guys on ff.net will be the first to know.......besides my fam. ;-) Seriously, I couldn't dream of not telling you guys! It would be so cool to see what you guys think of it! It's my baby, besides this one. ;-) I can't wait to see what you guys think of it, if it gets published! :-) Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! It's always a pleasure to read them!   
  
**_SilverElf: _** _"ok Fido the crackhead security guard dog, i have two words for you. Bite. Me." LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!! I say the same thing to that stupid thing!! I HATE fido! BWAHAHAAA!! Reading that just made me laugh SO hard!! :-) *sniffle* I don't like to kill Weasleys, fortunately, no Weasleys have died! Yet. Don't worry! Just kiddin'! I do agree with you. Voldemort does in many ways remind me of Saruman. Very similiar those two, in their manner of speech anyhow._ _I'm so thrilled when I read that my readers get such a rush and fright out of reading something *I* wrote! It's just a real energy rush._ _*shudder* Ouija boards are sssssccccarrrry!!! *polishes medal that says "god of cliffhangars" on it* Thank you, thank you!! I'm honored to receive that honor! ;-)_ _Thank you so much for all your compliments! I absolutely love hearing what you have to say whenever I post! *chuckle* Fine. WEASLEYS. DO. NOT. DIE. Are you happy now? ;-)_ _I bet you it's Arabella Figg too. lets just face it. Arabella is just NOT a common name. ;-) GAH!! How could somebody steal your ff.net name??!! How awful! That's just not fair. Well, don't worry buddy. You're still the ORIGINAL Silver Elf to ME! Poor, sweet baby. :-) I agree with everything you said regarding LOTR. Arwen.........well, I'll just refrain from talking of her, as she makes my blood boil. :-) I'm just waiting for the third one. *crosses legs impatiently* I'm not sure I can wait till December. But hey, at least it's coming out in December and not three years from now!! *mutters: GEORGE LUCAS* Dork. I won't get into my SW peeve, but I despise the fact that good ol' George is taking so bloody long to make these movies. The last one won't be out for THREE years!! Thank goodness Peter Jackson is smart. Thanks so much for readin' and reviewin'!! Hope you liked the chapter!!_

****

Kora: ..........Okay, it's SO not fair that you guys have seen TTT an estimate of five times each. Not fair at all. Bloody hell. Not fair at all. So was that true? Was there a ROTK trailer at the end of TTT? I heard that that wasn't true. I never got to see it if it was because the stupid little theater boy closed the curtains over the screen before the credits were done BOTH times I went to see it. HELLO!!! SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO READ THE CREDITS YOU LITTLE PRAT!! I have actually gone to onering.net. It's probably just me but it seems really hard to find stuff there. Like ROTK pics, I didn't even FIND. It's just so immense. But a cool site all and all. 

"this is all colesseum on genosis like. very much with the fun. or battle at the gates of mordor. pelennor fields._"_

*chuckles* You're so funny! What's even funnier is that I know exactly what you're talkinga bout. Yeah, I did notice that a whole bunch of elves died. And *sniffle* they killed off Haldir! IT WASN'T HIS TIME!! BWAHAHAAAA!! I'M SORRY HALDIR FOR ALL THE NASTY THINGS I SAID ABOUT YOU!! FOR MOCKING YOU and........stuff. *Mocks: The dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark." Well, I couldn't help it. A completely mockable line.* _It's okay. I completely understand about being really busy. COMPLETELY!! I understand. Hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing!! :-)_   
  
**_Hollie: _**Hey! I know you haven't finished the rest of the other chappy, but that's okay. ;-) You'll catch up. I think that's what happened. I made the chapters longer. That's why it takes longer for everyone else to read'n review. MY BAD!! :-) Congratulations on getting the lead for your school play! That's awesome!! Hooray for you! *chuckles* Yep, that's how you spell 'amuck'. It is an odd word, isn't it? :-) I just can't bring myself to write a completely sober, scary chapter. I MUST have comic relief! For MY own sanity! ;-) *grins* Thank you so much for your compliments! You're so sweet! Oh don't worry! I always understand what you're writing, even if you think it sounds odd. I always get it. *blushes deep red* Thank so much! You're really too nice to me! I think you should take Latin! It's very helpful! Just read Quiet One's thank you! ;-) It's quite an interesting language, and plus, you'd have an advantage because A) You'll be SO good at English and vocab, English is based off of Latin.   
B) Because you can talk to people in Latin and they won't know what you're saying or even WHAT you're speaking because they don't know Latin or what it sounds like. You could tell them you're speaking in Elvish and they'd probably think you were serious. ;-)   
_"I know I've said that a billion times, but I mean it with every fiber of my being. This is just.... I don't even have words for it. Everything has some type of secret, everything is connected in some way, and the dialogue, the narration... geeze. I firmly stand by my statement, if you don't become a professional author, there is something wrong with the world." _

*blushes even harder* Thanks so much! I really hope to get my book published! *Yesssss* And that would be so cool if my buddies from ff.net could read it! That's one of the reasons I'd be so excited for my book to get published, just to see what you guys think! :-) _I do know what you mean about touch ups. I'm actually considering re-editing my LOTR story, fixing the format and script and stuff. Won't change the story, just add stuff to it. Whenever you get to the rest of the Bright Eyes fics is fine! It's all cool! There's a lot of them, so whenever. :-) Thanks so much for reviewing, Hollie luv! I always love to read your reviews! You rock! Don't work yourself TOO hard. ;-) Later! _  
  
**_Okay guys, time for more HP stuff. As in the previous chapter, I'm gonna tell you some stuff about the other HP books. You might want to pay attention to some of these. I might just be putting these in for fun, but some of them might be giving you information about stuff that will happen in my stories later._**

Name Meanings and Origins: 

Bathilda Bagshot (the author of **A History of Magic**): Bagshot is a town near London.

Dursley: A town near J.K. Rowling's birthplace.

  
Professor Flitwick: Flitwick is a town in England.

Cedric Diggory: Digory Kirke is a hero of some of J.K. Rowling's favorite books, **The Chronicles of Narnia** by C.S. Lewis. Notice that Cedric is not far from a rearrangement of Kirke.

****

Marcus Flint: (captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team). Possibly named for Captain John Flint from Robert Louis Stevenson's **Treasure Island**.

Salazar Slytherin: António de Oliveira Salazar was dictator of Portugal---where J.K. Rowling once lived---from 1932 to 1968. He was known for very harsh policies.

****

Hedwig (Harry's owl): A saint who lived in Germany in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. An order of nuns established under her patronage chose as its work the education of orphaned children---like Harry.

Ronan (centaur): An Irish saint. (and if anybody didn't notice, Ronan the centaur has RED hair. ;-))

Diagon Alley: Typical of everything in the wizard world, this street doesn't run straight; it runs "diagon**ally**".

****

Knockturn Alley: This nasty street, where shops like Borgin & Burkes cater to those who pursue the Dark Arts, is a place you wouldn't want to visit "nocturn**ally**".

****

The previous entry on the books was about the Order of the Phoenix. These stuff are CONFIRMED facts about the coming books. *rubs hands together* I can't wait!! :-).

**__**

Are we going to learn more about Harry's mom in the next book [Book 4]?   


__

... There is something very important about Harry's mother that he hasn't yet discovered that he's not going to find out in the next book. It's too important for Book 4. He finds it out later in the series. -J.K. Rowling

****

What happened to Harry's Grandparents?   


__

Various interesting things. But again, I'm not gonna share. -J.K. Rowling

__

Harry is not going to be tempted over to the Dark Side. _(Well, of COURSE not! What is this? Star Wars?)_

__

"I want Harry Potter and his friends to grow up as well as older, though I'll keep it all humorous, well within the tone of the books. I want them eventually to be truly 17 and discover girlfriends and boyfriends and have sexual feelings - nothing too gritty. Why not allow them to have those feelings?" -J.K. Rowling (Ahh, ah ah, okay. We *really* don't NEED those things. Let's remember, these are *children's* books, J.K.)

__

We will be seeing Lupin and the real Mad-Eye Moody again! (And the REAL Moody is even cooler than the fake one!!) 

__

J.K. Rowling said, "There's at least one death that's going to be horrible to write." 

__

We will see the return of Firenze. :o) 

**__**

Do Harry and Hermione have a date?   


__

No. They are very platonic friends. But I won't answer for anyone else, nudge nudge, wink wink! -J.K. Rowling (Hehehe! I wonder who Hermione will date if it's not Harry! Ron, perhaps?) :o) 

__

When Rowling was asked "are there any special wizarding powers in your world that depend on the wizard using their eyes to do something?" Rowling asked why this question was being asked. Then the interviewer said, "Well because everyone always goes on about how Harry's got Lilly Potter's eyes?" To that, J.K. gave this very dodgy answer, "Aren't you smart? There is something, maybe, coming about that. I'm going to say no more. Very clever." So Harry's eyes really MIGHT be important to the story! :o) 

__

Lockhart will not be coming back again, but we MAY be seeing Rita Skeeter again. 

__

Unlike his father, Harry will not become an animagus. :o( 

__

"There is a character who does manage in desperate circumstances to do magic quite late in life, but that is very rare in the world I am writing about." - JK Rowling (Or how about Filch? That's MY guess.) 

__

Aunt Petunia's and Lily's maiden name is Evans. 

__

Hagrid, Lily, and James were all in Gryffindor. 

__

When asked what J.K. Rowling would do if she could go to Hogwarts for an hour, she replied, "Go straight into a certain room, mentioned in Book Four, which has certain magical properties Harry hasn't discovered yet!" (Perhaps, the toilet room? Remember, the one that Dumbledore found in the middle of the night that had a bunch of chamber pots in it? Hmmm. I wonder. ;-))

****

Thanks again for reading and reviewing, you guys! The next chapter will be out as soon as I finish editing it and writing thank you's to the reviews for this chapter. ;-) 

Love ya!!

T.H.


	18. Departures and Deals

****

CHAPTER 18.

DEPARTURES AND DEALS

Silence echoed around the field for only a moment before a shrill cry arose among the wizards and witches in the air and on the ground. The ghosts beside them cried out as well, the sound of victory flowing madly throughout the ruins of Hogwarts. Hermione rushed to Ron, pushing madly through the crowds and flung her arms around his neck joyfully. Ron blushed and winced slightly, allowing his good arm to slip around her. Hermione noted his injured arm, then kissed him long and hard upon the lips. The ghost beside her, put her hand on her heart and smiled happily. The ghost beside Ron, a young man with dark hair, rolled his eyes and placed his hands on his hips as Ron finally kissed Hermione back after recovering from the initial shock of it all. After Hermione released her hold on him, she rested her head gently on his shoulder, a hot blush playing across her cheeks. Ron's red face was jubilant and he grinned and winked at Ginny, who sighed and shook her head, a small smile playing about her lips. 

All around the witches and wizards, the giants were shaking the ground with their laughter and the thunderous back-slaps and handshakes that they gave each other. Harry watched in amazement as one of them, who looked to be the leader from his immense headdress, bent down to see eye-to-eye with Dumbledore. A smile came over the Headmaster's face and he extended his hand to the giant. Something that could almost be called softness came over the giant's face and he extended one finger to the Headmaster. 

Sirius flew over the battlements, finally settling down on the soft grass. Draco leapt to the ground and stood in front of Sirius awkwardly for a time as the older wizard stepped off his broomstick. 

"Thanks. I probably could have gotten through on my own, but thanks." Draco said stiffly, unsure of what to say to this man. Sirius scoffed and nodded. 

"Yeah, I have a hard time saying thanks to people who've saved my life too, so I won't take it personally." Sirius said sarcastically. 

Draco was taken aback for a moment, then simply stared at Sirius before turning and stalking away. Sirius chuckled quietly to himself as the boy walked away from him. Sirius knew he didn't know where he was going. The little git was just as confused, or maybe moreso than the other kids here. But a pained look flashed across Sirius' face as he watched Draco's face light up as Artemis rushed towards him happily. Slowly, he extended his arms to her as she bounded up to him.

Sirius watched as the girl threw her arms around the Slytherin, holding him close to her and laughing excitedly. But Draco did not laugh, nor did he smile. He simply placed his arms around her waist and closed his eyes as a wave of emotion washed over him. Artemis felt him sink into her arms and she slowly lowered herself and him to the ground. Draco let himself loose from her grasp and bent over, his head buried in his hands, his body shuddering with a pain that even he could not understand. Artemis rested a reassuring hand on his back, unsure of what to say or do. Sirius stared at them, sense of knowing inhabiting his dark eyes and an uneasy look resting in the lines of his face.

As Ron held Hermione, he leaned back and frowned, then rolled his eyes as he saw Bill and Rhiannon holding each other not far away from him. Bill was sitting on the grass holding Rhiannon desperately. His lips were pale due to the pressure with which he was pressing them together. He brushed Rhiannon's hair gently from her face as he rocked her. Ron couldn't help but notice the paleness of Rhiannon's face and the harshness with which she breathed. But all the same, he looked upon them with scorn and sarcasm even as he held Hermione in his arms. The minute he realized the irony of his thoughts, he blushed red, but did not let go of her. He simply resolved not to be nearly so hard on his brother later.

From his spot on the Hogwarts grounds, Harry slowly turned to look at his mother. She stood before him, as real as she would ever get, his mother. The woman who had died saving him, the woman he'd never truly know. 

"Mum," Harry croaked. 

Silvery tears filled Lily Potter's eyes as she gazed upon her son, the son she could not touch, the son she could not cradle in her arms, the son she so longed to hold, but could not due to the restrictions placed on her. She merely contented herself to press her hands against her cheek as if to keep her body in check. 

"Oh, Harry! You've grown so much. You look just like your father! But I'm sure you're tired of hearing that." Lily choked, trying to smile. 

Harry shook his head reassuringly as a tear slipped down his cheek. He was simply glad to hear her voice. It was so soothing, his mother's voice. Gentle and kind, just like he'd always imagined it would be. 

"Not from you, Mum. I'm just so glad to see you, to talk to you, I just," Harry stopped. 

He couldn't say anymore. He just wanted to stare at his mother forever and forever. He had wanted to do the same when he'd seen her image in the Mirror of Erised. But that had been an illusion. This was real. She was _really_ present, only a few feet away from him.

Just then, Lily Potter broke eye contact with her son and turned to gaze at Molly Weasley, who was slowly descending from her broomstick. Then she turned back to face Harry with a small smile. 

"She loves you, Harry. You let her be the mother that I can't be. You will, won't you?" Lily whispered. Harry felt as though he was going to sob right there in front of his mother, but he nodded firmly and choked back his tears. 

"I promise, Mum." He whispered. 

Lily nodded, then smiled as James Potter stepped beside her. He looked almost the same as he had in his wedding picture, Harry noted. He then realized just how much he looked like his father. It was rather unnerving. No wonder many of his father's old friends had been struck into silence when they'd first seen him. The nose, the face, the hair, they were all his father's. 

"Did you say good-bye to Sirius and Remus?" Lily asked quietly. 

James nodded silently, then turned to face Harry, his Adam's apple bobbing from the tears he wished to hide from him

"Harry, it's good to see you. I really, I don't know what to say and that's the truth. I hate this. I hate having the chance to come back and not be able to think of anything to say at the time. I know that when I leave, I'll think of a thousand things to say. A thousand things that I _wish _I could say. There's so many things you should know," James' voice trailed off and he shook his head slowly. "You understand, Harry?" He asked quietly.

Harry let out a shaky laugh. 

"Yeah, I do. I feel the same way! I guess I'm just glad that you're here and I can _see _you and, and just that you're here is enough for me." Harry choked out. 

"Oh, Harry, we're always here. Even when you can't see us. We'll never leave you. Ever." Lily whispered, extending her ghostly hand as if to touch him, but withdrawing it as she realized what she was doing. 

Harry suddenly gazed upon his parents in amazement, in remembrance. He had remembered something that Martin had told him the first time he'd seen him by the statue of Merlin.

_Anyway, I was just keeping an eye on you. Your, ah, well, someone told me to.....I really can't say yet. But, just know, Harry, that the people you love are closer than you think._

"It was you. You asked Martin to look after me." Harry said slowly. 

Lily Potter smiled and nodded, while James cleared his throat and shrugged helplessly. 

"We weren't sure if the potion would even work, after all, it _was_ Snape." James said spitefully. 

Lily frowned and jogged James' elbow, provoking a smile from Harry. James glanced at her, then shrugged.

"Well, it _was_."

"We owe this to him.. This moment, this time with Harry." 

James looked down at the ground and cleared his throat again. It was a familiar position to Harry. He often did it when he knew he was wrong and he was trying to find the words to admit it. But at the same time, there was something different in the gesture. James' fingers were playing with the edges of his cloak. Somehow, he couldn't help but think that he had seen that action before, somewhere. 

"You're right, Lily. But anyway, we didn't know if it would even work. We just wanted someone to watch out for you, Harry, in case, in case we weren't able to see you. That's all." James said finally.

"We didn't want Martin to tell you what was to come, in case it didn't work. We didn't want you to get your hopes up." Lily said kindly. 

"I appreciate it." Harry said, smiling broadly. "Now that I understand that is. I thought he was just haunting me or something." 

Lily and James chuckled, then glanced at each other as their gray figures flickered for a moment. Harry barely heard his father's groan, but he did see clearly the streak of pain that flashed across his mother's face.

"We have to leave now, Harry. But we want you to know that this war isn't over yet. Voldemort won't let us win with just this battle. He'll keep fighting, but you've got to keep fighting just as hard. Keep fighting, Harry." James whispered hoarsely. "Keep fighting. Don't let them win. We'll always be here when you need us. I'm closer than you think." James whispered, running his hands wearily across his eyes for a moment. 

Lily rested her ghostly hand on James' arm, then turned to gaze lovingly at Harry as they began to disappear. 

"We love you, Harry! We always will! We're always here. Always." 

Her voice blended into a whisper as their bodies disappeared into the nothingness that they had appeared from. Harry wanted them to come back. He wanted to hold them, to touch them so badly. But he knew that he would have to wait till he himself died, so that he could be with them forever. Harry's thoughts were mixed up and confused as he stepped away from that spot where his parents had been. It seemed so hard to believe that he had just spoken with his parents. It was only a moment, but he knew that it was a moment well spent. He'd see them again. He was sure of it. His Mum and Dad wouldn't want him to pine for them continuously. Rather, they'd want him to remember them, but not obsess over them. So that he would do, though it would be hard because of this one taste of the thing he so eagerly desired. 

Harry stepped away from that place, choosing to walk towards a grinning Ron and Hermione, who were conversing with the ghosts that stood beside them. 

"Hey, Harry!" Ron said, waving him over. "This is Roman. He's really cool! He was an Auror in the 1700's! And guess what, this is his girlfriend Genevieve. Wicked, eh?" Ron said cheerily, indicating the ghosts beside him, who smiled kindly at Harry. 

Harry smiled and nodded to the ghosts, but his smile faded as quickly as it had come as he stared at the scene behind Ron and Hermione. He quickly pushed through them and walked towards the wall of Hogwarts, walked then ran as panic flooded through his body.

Rhiannon lay on the ground, crimson blood flowering across the front of her robes. Her face was pale and her eyes were closed. Bill was resting behind her, holding her up, clutching her hand desperately, whispering to her frantically. Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore stood above them, their faces lined and grim as they gazed upon the two. But there was another figure hovering there, the ghost, the ghost Harry had seen following Rhiannon about Hogwarts so many times in the past. 

Harry could barely make out the outline of the ghost. It blended into its surroundings, slowly but surely becoming clearer. Its identity became soon clear, though still foggy, and Harry saw that it was a boy, strands of hair hanging in his face as he gazed upon Rhiannon. He was standing beside her, whispering her name softly, urgently, calling her back. Harry watched as a glimmer began to appear beside the wraith and he stared at it in horror. The boy pushed the glimmer away, pushed it frantically back towards Rhiannon. All too soon, Harry realized what that glimmer was. It was Rhiannon's ghost. She was dying. 

"Rhiannon, you can't go now. You've got to stay. Stay, Rhiannon. Stay." The boy whispered his voice low and grave. 

Harry watched breathlessly as Snape approached McGonagall and breathlessly handed her a vial filled with a bright green potion. Professor McGonagall, quickly uncorked the vial, though her fingers slipped in her nervousness, she carefully poured the draft into Rhiannon's mouth. McGonagall tossed the empty vial to the ground and pressed her hands to her lips, waiting for any effect.

The waiting seemed to take forever as they stood around her, breathlessly waiting to see if the potion, combined with the boy beside Rhiannon, would make any difference. Ron and Hermione joined Harry in the wait, and they watched Rhiannon's chest slowly rise and fall, rise and fall. Then it began to rise and fall more firmly, more strongly, and her eyes flickered open. Bill's eyes widened and he smiled as he gripped her hand all the more tightly. Harry watched as Rhiannon looked around her, finally allowing her blue eyes to settle upon the ghost above her. As she gazed at him, she smiled wistfully. 

"So, you decide to hang around, Cousin?" Rhiannon asked the ghost wryly. 

The ghost chuckled and nodded, bending down and running his ghostly hand just above her face. 

"Yes. I had to keep you from joining me so soon. I think Bill might have something to say if I took you now." The boy said with a smile, a smile that was slowly becoming familiar to him. 

The boy's slight figure, those wide eyes that he'd seen wide open that horrific night, he knew them. It was Cedric Diggory.

Rhiannon gazed at Cedric, a wistful half smile resting on her lips. Slowly, she lay back in Bill's arms, her eyes never leaving Cedric's face. 

"Didn't think it would actually work. Didn't think I'd see you again." Rhiannon whispered. Cedric smiled and shrugged. 

"Neither did I. I was glad that I was able to see you again, even if it wasn't while I was alive." Cedric said simply. 

"That's right. You owed me a summer visit." She whispered, quietly gasping for breath. Cedric smiled wistfully and grasped her hand in his, though Rhiannon shivered with cold.

"I promise I'll make it up to you next year. No more of this hanging around without you knowing it."

Rhiannon shook her head and smiled wistfully.

"I felt you there."

"Can't get anything past you, can I?"

Then the ghost's body flickered like a light-bulb running on low power. Cedric sighed shortly and got to his feet. Rhiannon's eyelids fluttered in confusion and she grasped for his hand. 

"You don't have to go now, do you? Not yet." She whispered sadly. Cedric nodded slowly, his eyes downcast. 

"Yes. But don't worry. I'll be with you. I've been with you ever since you came to Hogwarts." 

Cedric knelt down beside Rhiannon and stared at her. Harry could tell what he was thinking, what he was wishing. All he wanted was to hold her to give her some comfort, wishing he could do anything to help her, but even that, he could not do. Instead he smiled and blew her a kiss, straightened himself, then turned to Bill.

"Kiss her for me won't you?" 

Bill nodded silently. A tear slid from Rhiannon's eyes as she closed them, but not before she whispered, 

"Good-bye, Cedric." 

Cedric shook his head sadly and whispered his reply, so low that Harry couldn't hear. His body had begun to flicker more quickly now as he turned to face Harry, but he still managed to cast a winning smile in his direction. 

"Well, Harry. You made it through alive I see. Glad to see it. That was the whole reason that Martin and I hung about this place." Cedric said with a smile. 

Harry chuckled uneasily, then gazed at Cedric. He couldn't understand, or rather, he couldn't _realize_ why Cedric was here, why he was speaking to him. Didn't _he_ hold Harry responsible for his death, as Harry did so often?

"Cedric, there aren't any hard feelings are there? I mean, I think that it's my fault that," 

Cedric cut him off with a loud snort. 

"You've been listening to Ron too much." He said derisively. 

Harry chuckled and shrugged. 

"I guess." 

Cedric sighed, then shuddered as his body faded slightly. He gave a rueful glance towards the sky, then turned back to face Harry, a serious and urgent look on his face. 

"Harry, listen. I don't have much time, but I've got to tell you something. I had no idea I was going to die that day. Never would have dreamed, that it would be my last day alive. But I _don't_ blame you. Voldemort does what he wishes and he doesn't care about accidents. He doesn't believe in them. But let me tell you that the minute I saw him when we went through the Portkey, I knew I was going to die. I did. I mean, why would he leave me alive? I would serve no purpose to him. You know, it's kinda funny," Cedric stopped and he chuckled quietly before continuing. "I thought of you first. You know? I didn't think about how _I_ could be in danger. I just thought, 'Voldemort vs. Harry Potter' and that was it. I was thinking that I should get you out of there before he killed you. But he, he killed me first." Cedric's far-away voice faltered as his body flickered. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Don't blame yourself, Harry. Because I sure don't. Never did. I don't have much time left, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm going hang around Hogwarts for a while, just to be with everyone." 

"It was you wasn't it? That one night when Ron and I heard Professor Flutterae and Professor Snape talking? It was you standing with her." Harry said. 

Cedric nodded and smiled. 

"Mind you, I didn't show myself very often. Mainly, because I knew everyone would recognize me. No, I left the appearing to Martin. But I did try to help you along as best I could. You understand." Cedric said with a smile. Suddenly, Cedric's ghostly body began to shimmer, then began to disappear slowly. 

"So will I never see you again then?" Harry asked quickly as Cedric's limbs disintegrated in wisps of gray smoke.

"C'mon, Harry. What was it Martin said? 'I'll be here. I've been with you the whole time. I'm certainly not gonna skip out on you now.'" Cedric said with a wistful smile as his body faded from sight.

"Thanks, Cedric." Harry choked. 

Cedric smiled and nodded, his smiling eyes the last thing Harry saw before the ghost departed completely. Even now that he'd gone, Harry still couldn't believe that Cedric _had_ been in Hogwarts. All that time when he'd assumed that Martin was Cedric, he hadn't been that far off. Cedric _had_ been there, but he hadn't been the one following him around, giving him hints. 

A sense of relief washed over Harry as he gazed at the spot where Cedric had been. Cedric didn't blame him. He never had. Even if Harry would never admit it, that was what he had been hoping for. It was the thing that could give him _some_ kind of relief: pardon from Cedric's own lips. 

"Ced's really cool, huh? I like him. He's more shy than I am, but that's okay. It's better than nothing. I probably never would have _tried_ to know him if I was still alive. Hufflepuffs are generally a load of duffers anyway, but Ced's an exception." 

Harry turned to face Martin Wothes, who was staring wistfully at the spot that Cedric had occupied a moment before, his hands in his smoky, gray pockets. 

"You. You were the one who was giving me all the hints and stuff." Harry said, pointing a finger at him. Martin laughed and nodded. 

"Bright boy, Harry. Cedric wanted me to do it. Thought that you guys might think he was coming back from the grave to haunt you or something crazy like that." Martin said, a chortle of laughter accompanying his words. 

Harry blushed red as he remembered the many conversations he'd had with his friends about that very theory. 

"Well, it's not TOO crazy." Harry muttered with an embarrassed air. 

For a moment, Martin's eyes widened in surprise, but then he laughed loudly. 

"Don't worry about it, Harry! If some freak kept whispering stuff about a mirror in _my_ ear all the time, I would have been a little worried too!" Martin said cheerily. Then his body began to quiver and he looked down at his gray body with a frown. "Damn potions." He muttered. 

"What's going on? Why is everyone disappearing?" Harry asked. 

"Resurrection spell." Martin said wearily. "We have only forty-five minutes to be some semblance of the people we once were, you know, we can deflect curses and stuff. But only for a certain amount of time. Forty-five minutes was all Snape could get up to." Martin said as he shrugged. 

"What _is_ a 'Resurrection Spell'? I've never even heard of it before." Harry asked quickly, praying that Martin didn't disappear before he could answer his question.

"It was a thing Snape and Dumbledore were playing around with for a while, keeping the idea in the back of their heads just in case Voldemort should return to full power. Well, they started working on it for a little bit when they heard that Voldemort had brought back the Garotters. That freaked them out because those things hadn't been seen for hundreds of years and now that they're loose," Martin shook his head sadly before continuing. "After Cedric died, Dumbledore told Snape to start working full-tilt on the potion. Cedric told me later that Snape said that if Voldemort was gonna bring back evil beings from the past, then he sure as hell could bring back the powerful wizards of ages past to counter _them_." Martin said cheerily. 

Harry's eyes widened as he took in Martin's words.

"You mean, Professor Snape saw Cedric too?" He asked wonderingly.

"Yeah. Cedric hung around with Snape a lot during the summer and during the school year. Helped him to get the potion and the spell in working order. He brought suggestions from other wizards from all over so Snape could get it done. He was running late you see, having a hard time getting it made. That was primarily why Dumbledore made Rhiannon the D.A.D.A. teacher, so that she could help Snape. She was high on his priority list because of stuff she'd done in the past. But she wasn't so sure she wanted to do it. She was uneasy about it, mainly because she knew that she had caused all the trouble because she had invented the Master's Mirror and had let it get out of her hands. She was guilty about that and almost quit on Snape." Martin said knowingly. 

"So that was what she was talking about when she was talking with Snape in the hallway. He wasn't trying to get her to do anything wrong. He was trying to get her to make a decision, to get back on track with the potion." Harry said in realization. Martin nodded. 

"Yeah. She didn't like the idea of bringing back the dead to fight. But Snape and Dumbledore were convinced that it was the only thing they could do to counter the Garotters. I mean, c'mon! WE didn't have any ancient fighters like that to resurrect! All we had were those who fought before us." Martin said with a smile. 

"I think it was a great idea. I got saved loads of times by, by my Mum." Harry said slowly. Martin nodded knowingly. 

"Yeah, I know. It was a killer spell. That it was. Pity it's gotta end." Martin said. He sighed and raised his transparent hand to his face, watching his fingertips slowly wither away. Then he raised his head, casting Harry a brave, but somewhat quavering smile. "But I think I'll hang around with Ced for a while! Hang out with you guys in Hogwarts. Then who knows? Maybe I'll go see the world. Be a spy for the good wizards and witches! Heaven knows that I can't be killed by Voldemort!" Martin said cheerily. Harry laughed and nodded. 

"Yeah. It, it was great to meet you, Martin. Thanks, for everything." 

Martin smiled and nodded as his body disappeared slowly. 

"It was great to meet you too. Sorry it wasn't under better circumstances. And don't worry. I'll be around. Maybe where you least expect me, just around the corner, on the ceiling, a few yards away, maybe in the bathroom, or in the shower, or maybe I'll just be _there_." With those final words, changing subtly from joking to serious, Martin faded away from Harry's vision.

"Harry! Hullo, Harry!" 

Harry turned around with a grin as he heard Hagrid's voice from high above him. He put his hand above his eyes to block the sun and looked above him. Yards above him was the same giantess who had saved his life when the giants had first arrived. In her hand, rested Hagrid, whom she sat down on the ground in front of Harry. Hagrid gave Harry an immense hug, which Harry returned to the best of his ability, although it felt as though the life were being squeezed out of him.

"It's so good to see you, Hagrid! We were all so worried about you!" Harry gasped as Hagrid released him. Hagrid smiled and wiped away a tear from his eye. 

"I know! I hated leavin' yer like tha'. But Dumbledore said I had ter go, so off I went. An' a good thing too! As soon as your ring sent Sirius the signal to come, he flew over ter the Scotland hills with Buckbeak an' picked us up. O'course," Hagrid's forehead furrowed and he looked slightly put out. "I didn't exactly trust 'im, but Dumbledore said 'e was innocent, so I've jest got ter trust him fer now. But that don't mean that I _approve_. Anyway, I went ahead with Sirius an' Olympe, er, Madame Maxime, an' the giants. Almost took too long in comin'. But it's done. The giants are on our side, Harry. An' lemme tell you, that'll help things considerably, just so long as, er, well, they don't go back ter You-Know-Who." Hagrid said quietly, eyeing the giantess above him. Harry nodded and smiled.

"I'm glad they decided to come. But Hagrid, how did you do it?"

Hagrid's smile faded slightly and he shook his head slightly.

"Tha's fer me an' Dumbledore ter know, Harry. Don't need to worry yerself 'bout tha'." Hagrid said quietly. 

Harry frowned slightly in confusion, but fixed his eyes on the giantess above Hagrid. "That one saved my life." Harry said in surprise, pointing up at the giantess, who smiled broadly. 

The somber look faded from Hagrid's face and a delighted grin spread across it.

"You mean Minne saved yer? Well, I'll be! Harry, I'd like yer ta meet someone. This here's my Aunt Minne, my mother's sister. Ain't she wonderful?" Hagrid asked, peering up at the giantess. The giantess bent down till her upper body nearly touched the earth and gazed at Harry. 

"It is good to meet you, 'arry Potter." Her deep voice boomed. "My nephew has told me much of you." 

Harry smiled at the giantess, finding this whole thing hard to believe. But he was happy for Hagrid. After all, he hadn't had any family for the longest time. He was most likely as pleased as punch that he knew at least _one_ of his relatives.

"It's an honor for me as well. Thanks for saving me." 

The giantess chuckled, which erupted as a series of earth shaking tremors.

"It was nothing. 'ad 'agrid been his full size he would have done the same." The giantess said, straightening her immense body. 

Harry smiled at her again, then glanced curiously at Hagrid.

"Hagrid, where's your mother? Didn't you find her?" Harry asked. 

Hagrid's face suddenly became rather red, and he began twisting his large fingers around each other.

"I foun' her. But she didn' want no part in nothin'. She wouldn't come out, not even ter see me." Hagrid choked, a few tears slipping from the corners of his eyes. Harry gazed at his friend in sympathy and placed a hand on the half-giant's large forearm.

"I'm sorry, Hagrid. I really am." 

Hagrid choked and nodded.

"Don' be. Nothin' you can do 'bout it. Thanks though, Harry. You take care now. Gotta go talk to Olympe." Hagrid said, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder for a moment before he walked away. Harry smiled as Hagrid walked away, then watched as the immense giantess, Minne, strode off towards her kin, her legs and feet as large as trees, which left great imprints on the grassy lawn.

As Harry turned about to look for some trace of Ron and Hermione, he heard a high-pitched cry, then saw Molly Weasley rushing towards the doors of Hogwarts, which were slowly opening. There, walking towards the crowds of remaining witches and wizards, were Fred and George Weasley, supported by Severus Snape, who walked carefully between them, his white hands holding their shoulders erect. Mrs. Weasley threw herself upon her sons, tears spilling down her cheeks as she held them to her. 

"My boys! My boys! I don't care what you do from now on! You can, you can, BLOW UP a Hogwarts _bathroom_ for all I care! You can _make_ your joke shop! Just don't ever leave me again!" She sobbed. 

Fred and George, though still pale, grinned happily at each other over their mother's head, but sobered immediately as they saw their father's warning glance. Obediently, the boys sobered and patted their mother on the back as she sobbed into their chests. 

"It's okay, Mum." Fred said gently. 

"Really! We're alright now!" George finished with a broad grin.

Mrs. Weasley took a step back, rubbing her eyes frantically with the back of her hand as she gazed at them adoringly. 

"I know. I know, but it's just, I'm so glad you're back." She sobbed. 

The twins' faces became overcome by emotion and a thickness rose in Harry's own throat as the boys reached for their mother again and pulled her to them, their long arms encircling her completely. Harry looked away a moment as tears welled up in his eyes, but he looked back as soon as he could. Arthur Weasley coughed, unsure of what to say or do. Fred and George simply smiled at him as they held their mother, jerking their heads toward him inviting him in. Arthur stepped behind his sons and put his arms around their shoulders, closing his eyes thankfully. Bill and Charlie stepped on either side of their brothers and flung their arms around them and their mother and father. Ron did the same, watching his broken arm carefully as he put his uninjured arm around Fred's shoulder. Percy hung back for a moment, considering etiquette possibly, but he was shoved from behind as Ginny rushed upon her brothers with a loud sob. Fred and George smiled as they ran their hands over their sister's bright red hair. Then George looked fixedly at Percy for a moment, then winked, jerking his head towards his family. Percy smiled and stepped into the circle, accepted and held in his family's arms, though he didn't seem to hold them as closely or as tightly as the others.

Harry smiled happily at the sight before him, then smiled sympathetically at Hermione, who was sitting by herself on the ground, sobbing at the sight. Harry walked slowly over to her and sat down beside her, placing his arm around her. Hermione shook her head and attempted in vain to wipe the tears from her eyes. 

"I just, I don't usually cry. It's just, I'm so happy I suppose. I don't know. I just," She wept, leaving her words floundering in her tears. Harry nodded and pulled her close to him. 

"I know, Hermione. It's okay, you know. You don't have to explain. I feel the same way." Harry said quietly. Hermione sobbed thankfully and simply grasped his hand tightly. 

Finally, the Weasleys released each other and gazed upon each other happily, finally united. It was in that moment that Fred and George's friends rushed upon them in a torrent, screaming their happiness that the twins had been returned to them. Fred and George laughed ecstatically as they pounced upon their friends. Fred's eyes widened immensely as Alicia threw herself on him and planted a kiss upon his lips. 

As she pulled away, a vibrant blush resting on her cheeks, Fred stared at her with an awestruck look. A moment later, he whooped and pulled her to him victoriously. George laughed and slapped his brother on the back in a congratulatory way, then looked over his friends' heads, scanning the crowd. He grinned broadly as he saw a jubilant Artemis rush to him, excitement evident in every motion that she executed. He put his arms around her as she approached and held her close, rocking her gently as her arms went around his neck. Then as she began to cry softly, he smiled and placed his red head against her own blonde tresses. Harry smiled wistfully as Artemis reached up and kissed George on the cheek. It wasn't at all as passionate as the one Alicia had given to Fred, but it fit. George blushed red and whispered something in her ear that made her laugh through her tears and made her press him closer to her.

Harry stood on the outskirts of the group, unsure of when to enter in or if he even _should_. Ron and Bill were being fussed over by Mrs. Weasley and Charlie and Percy were laughing as she did so. Mr. Weasley's vibrant laugh boomed across the courtyard, but at the same time he was gentle as he held his daughter in his arms, stroking her red hair as she hugged him fiercely. 

Finally, Fred and George broke free from the crowd, promising to return as soon as possible. Harry grinned as he noticed both of them stop, give a one-two-three-go, then race towards him as fast as they could. They screeched to a halt before plowing into him then threw their long arms around him, giving him an immense, double hug. They released him just before Harry thought he was going to be squeezed to death for sure. 

"Great to see you, Harry old boy!" Fred laughed. 

"No kiddin'! So good to be walking around again!" George yelled, letting loose a loud whoop in affirmation. 

"I'm so glad you guys are okay!" Harry laughed. Fred and George laughed and settled down on a pile of rubble, stretching their legs in satisfaction. Harry did the same, grinning from ear to ear. 

"So are we. I must say, it's different seeing things as myself again." George said, eyeing his surroundings. Fred rolled his eyes, but all the same, grinned at his twin.

"I'm just glad that you're out of my head, George." 

Fred cast him a look of mock disdain and smacked his arm, chuckling all the while.

"Fred, George, if it's not too much trouble, could you," Harry started. 

"Explain some things? Sure." Fred said quickly. Harry nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, finally satisfied that things would start to make sense. "Okay, we'll start from the beginning. After we got to Hogwarts, well, after a while anyway, we went into Rhia's classroom to ask her something about classes," Fred started. 

"No, she wasn't kissing anyone!" George said cheerily. 

Fred rolled his eyes and slugged his brother in the arm as Harry laughed. 

"No, she wasn't doing _that_, but she _was_ writing some stuff at her desk. She was really into it. I mean, she didn't even answer us when we TALKED to her." Fred said, furrowing his eyebrows. 

"So finally, we went up to her desk, ready to pitch some Filibuster fireworks on her desk, just so she'd _pay attention_! Then we saw the stuff she was writing. It was all this stuff about a 'Resurrection Spell' and the 'Master's Mirror' and stuff. Freaky stuff, honestly." George said. 

"Well, she finally saw that we were there, saw that we had seen what she was writing, we forced her to spill everything: that she was helping Snape with the spell, what the spell was for, what the Master's Mirror was, who it had killed, its purpose, and that she had created it. Everything." Fred said seriously, shaking his head. 

"We were sworn to secrecy and we never told anyone. EVER. We found out about the secret passageway where Snape and Rhia actually worked on the spell and stuff. Went there a couple times. We liked it. It was a good hide out. Hid lots of Canary Cremes down there." George said with a reminiscent smile. "But anyway, that was where we met Martin. Kinda freaked us out at first, but then it was really wicked! He told us about all this stuff, like other secret passageways and things and some really nifty tricks!" George gushed. 

"He gave us the idea to put the constrogo in Snape's room." Fred admitted with a smile. Harry's mouth dropped open in astonishment. 

"So THAT'S why Martin was there in the first place! He saved Ron from getting his brains bashed out!" Harry said in realization. Fred and George nodded with identical smiles. 

"Yeah, he told us about that." Fred said, winking at his twin. 

"Scared him pretty bad, that did." George chuckled. 

"Then he came and told us after the constrogo drank some of Snape's potions, and we went and got help. We all had a _big_ sympathy party afterwards, I can tell you ." Fred grumbled. George laughed at that and nodded. 

"Then the storm came." Fred said, his cheery face suddenly sobering. 

"The '**_Lucrum Insperatum_**'." Harry whispered.

Fred and George nodded, all traces of happiness and mirth disappearing from their faces. 

"Yeah. That was the first time that Martin wasn't there with us. We didn't know what to do. One minute we were just playing Quidditch, the next, we were lying on the ground beside each other, all cut up and bleeding." Fred said slowly, a far away look in his usually jovial eyes. "Then we went and found Ron. We didn't really care about ourselves that much. But we found Ron and brought him to Rhia. She didn't want us to go back out, but we did." Fred continued. 

"We had to find Ginny! She was still out in that mess!" George blurted out. Fred nodded and patted his twin on the back before continuing. 

"We found her, but George, he started, well, you explain it, George." Fred said, glancing encouragingly at his brother. George frowned, but took a deep breath and spoke quietly.

"It was pretty bad, Harry. One minute, I was carrying Ginny, I told Freds I was strong enough to carry her, you see. The next minute, I dropped. I felt like I was on fire and I couldn't move and I couldn't see all at the same time. I felt so terrible. The other teachers told me that I screamed and kicked and stuff, but I don't remember it. I don't really remember anything." George closed his eyes and shuddered slightly, then opened them and began to speak again. "Next thing I knew, I was in Snape's dungeon. There were these cots set up, two of 'em for me and Freds. Freds was sitting up talking to Snape and I was just laying there." George's eyes began to stare at nothingness as he relived the experience. "I didn't really remember much that was said. Snape told most of it to Freds, but what I gathered was that me and Fred had been in the very center of the storm and had gotten hit, but I got hit worse than Freds. Really bad. The magic of the storm had somehow paralyzed me inwardly, sorta like it was making me go crazy, or it _would_ or something strange like that. But the point is, when I lost control, Fred would go nuts too because of what Snape called the 'twin effect'. Did anybody tell you about that?" George asked, eyeing Harry. Harry nodded. 

"Yeah, Martin told me." He answered. George nodded and shrugged. 

"Well, I didn't much like that idea of taking Freds down with me, but Snape explained to us that he had a potion that would keep me okay for a while. He didn't know how much longer I could hold up though." George said softly.

"So the potions stopped working when you collapsed in the hallway?" Harry asked. George blanched at the memory and nodded. 

"Yeah. I'd been feeling strange all day and I just went blank when I fell. I couldn't remember anything. Then I remembered hearing someone calling out for Freds and then, and then I could talk to Fred in my _mind_, sorta. It was bloody weird. It was like we were one person in two different bodies. It was a cool feeling. More than once I wished we could stay like that. I mean, think of how helpful it would be sometimes!" George said enthusiastically, but still with a tired look reflecting in his gaze. "But anyway, the real reason that I broke that day, Snape explained this to us a couple minutes ago, was because of Voldemort. He came. He had cast the _'**Lucrum Insperatum**'_ before, and because he had returned, because his magic had returned and we had absorbed that magic in our bodies, we collapsed. It was too much. Too much power, too much evil. It just broke us." George said, glancing at his twin, who nodded simply.

"But wait, one thing. Professor Flutterae didn't really try to help you when you fell. She didn't really try at all. I didn't understand that. Why didn't she help?" Harry interrupted. George nodded knowingly. 

"That's precisely the point. She _didn't_ try. See, Snape needed one more ingredient for the spell and the potion to bring back the ghosts. One more that he'd just figured out." George said. 

"The spell read, _Flesh of two become one, properly joined, ready to fall._" Fred recited, nodding enthusiastically. Harry stared at them. 

"_What_?" He asked. Fred nodded. 

"That's what Snape said too. _What?_" Fred repeated with a smile. 

"But when he was studying some stuff, trying to figure out what the heck it was, he realized," George said. 

" 'Flesh of two become one', me and George under the 'twin effect'. 'Properly joined, ready to fall', when we were joined together and close to dying. That was the ingredient. So me and George collapsing was the only reason that we were able to finish the potion." Fred said. 

"So basically, we're heroes!" George said excitedly. Fred nodded vigorously. 

"Darn right we are!" Fred said, slinging his arm around his brother's shoulder.

"So, Professor Flutterae just wanted to stabilize you guys, get you close to death then bring you back so Snape could get the ingredient?" Harry asked slowly. Fred and George nodded. 

"Bill wasn't in on anything, see. He most likely is NOW, but he didn't know then. Rhia was just trying to get us up to Snape, not trying to help us, because if she helped us, brought us back too early, then Snape couldn't have finished the spell." George said. 

"I thought he was trying to kill you when I saw him cutting you guys like that." Harry said, a blush rising on his cheeks. Fred and George nodded with identical smiles. 

"Well, don't worry about it!" Fred said. 

"If me an' Freds had seen ol' Snape hackin' on you, we would have jumped on him and shoved a Canary Creme down his throat!" George said with a cheerful smile.

Harry laughed, then sobered slowly, thinking over everything that had just been said. 

"So Draco was the one who brought the mirror into Hogwarts." He mused. Instantly, Fred and George's faces sobered and they glanced at each other. 

"That's a bad business, and no one knows exactly what happened except Draco, but we've got our beliefs as to what happened." Fred said. 

"See, that day in Diagon Alley when Draco came in and bad-mouthed you, then left, I felt this pain, this sort of numbing feeling come over me when he left. Something calling my name and just, well, saying all this stuff that frankly, I didn't want to hear." George said, blushing red. "But it all faded soon after and I really didn't give it a second thought." He said. 

Harry nodded slowly, remembering the strange look upon George's face, how his iris had been swallowed in the blackness of his pupils.

"My guess is that after Malfoy left us in the shop, the mirror, or You-Know-Who, whoever it was, they told Draco to find and follow Martin. Draco brought it to Martin, and it confronted him, gave him a choice: Follow it or die. Obviously, Martin didn't give in and he was killed. He never really gave us particulars." Fred said somberly.

"Then Draco just took the mirror with him to Hogwarts. No one knew about it. No one _sensed_ it. Not even Dumbledore. Draco just carried it around with him, letting it call out to whomever it chose, which included Artemis and you. Then it was the mirror's power that helped to summon the _'**Lucrum Insperatum**'_ and started You-Know-Who's work on the place." George said. 

"Just trying to bring Hogwarts down, that's all." Fred grumbled. 

"But obviously, little Dracie didn't like hauling around that mirror, after seeing what happened here." George said, glancing at Draco, who Harry could see standing far across the field by himself.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. 

"Well, LOOK at him!" George said, jerking his thumb at the Slytherin boy. "You didn't see _him_ rushing to help the Death Eaters, did you? I mean, even Crabbe and Goyle did!" George said. 

"Yeah, and look where it got _them_." Fred muttered, glancing out at the battlefield with a wary eye.

George and Harry followed his gaze and saw one large body lying on the ground, several wizards bending over it. Crabbe lay there, still and frozen, his eyes closed as if in sleep, but Harry knew better. They were closed in death. Goyle was nowhere to be found. Harry looked back, a sick feeling churning in his stomach as he met Fred's gaze. 

"Crabbe got killed and Goyle's most likely with the Death Eaters. He won't be forgetting Draco's actions any time soon." Fred said grimly. George shook his red head and let out a sigh. 

"Nope. I just wanna know if Malfoy's intentions are really for good. That's all. I mean, he proved himself, but does he mean it? Will he turn on us again?" George mused soberly, glancing at Artemis, then at Draco. 

Harry glanced at Draco, standing alone off to the side of the witches and wizards surrounding him. Though there were witches and wizards around him everywhere, he had still managed to stay alone, aloof, his gray eyes challenging anyone to come near him. He looked no different, not changed in the least. He did not even look remorseful for his deeds. Hot fire coursed through Harry's veins as he stared at Malfoy. He wanted to scream at him, hit him, make him pay for his deeds. He had basically _killed_ a student of Hogwarts. Young Jessica didn't do _anything_ to him. But Draco had allowed Voldemort to come into Hogwarts and kill not only Jessica, but many other witches and wizards. 

But even as Harry thought this, he cringed as a sliver of sympathy passed through his consciousness. He didn't like to feel that way, not about Draco. Draco didn't _deserve_ his sympathy. He didn't deserve anything from him. Harry's eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he had to do something. But even as he moved forward, he stopped as a familiar creature brushed up against his leg.

Malificent rubbed her soft black fur against his leg, purring loudly, then rubbed against Fred and George's legs. The twins grinned and gave the cat a dual pat. The cat purred in happiness, then stepped daintily away from them. 

"Fred! George!" 

Fred and George had barely turned around before Lee Jordan jumped on them from behind, causing them to break out in laughter as they wrestled with each other. 

Harry smiled, then stood, stepping away from them as the friends talked and laughed. He turned away and watched Malificent with interest as she stepped through the crowds of witches and wizards. Finally she stopped in front of a person and waited, rubbing around his ankles as she did so. Harry's breath then caught in his throat as pale hands reached down and encircled the cat, bringing her into his arms. Sirius Black whispered to the cat as he gently petted the half-moon on her head, his fingers gentle and soothing.

Harry slowly made his way over to them, smiling at the scene before him. Sirius glanced up at him with his pale eyes and smiled. 

"She loves attention, I see." Sirius said quietly, glancing at the cat. Harry smiled and petted Malificent under the chin, feeling the purring that stirred deep in her throat as she closed her eyes in pleasure. 

"Oh yes. She's very much a beggar." 

Sirius nodded his agreement. 

"But a very intelligent little beggar. That much is certain." Sirius said slowly as Malificent opened her green eyes and rubbed her head under his chin. 

Harry watched as his godfather stroked the cat tenderly. He had changed a great deal since just last year. His long hair had been shorn so that the ends barely touched his shaved chin. His skin was no longer pale, but a crisp brown that set off the paleness of his eyes. One thing Harry knew for sure was that wherever Sirius had been hiding with Remus, there had obviously been a lot of sun. He barely looked like the Sirius Black that Harry had first seen in third year. _That_ man had looked like a living, breathing skeleton. _This_ man had made use of his body in his freedom. He wasn't as skeletal as before, nor as thin. He had changed, and to Harry's satisfaction, he looked nothing like the Sirius Black that the Ministry was looking for, the Sirius Black that the Ministry kept 'Wanted' pictures of in every single issue of the "Daily Prophet". For now, Sirius was safe.

After a few more moments, Sirius smiled, then set the cat on the ground, where she took off across the courtyard. Then he heaved a great sigh and allowed his eyes to scan his godson. Harry stood before him, covered in the grime of battle, but encircled with the glow of victory. Harry's green eyes glowed and he suddenly dropped his head, wincing as he tugged something from his charred, black hand. Then he held out something to Sirius, his eyes twinkling. Sirius lifted his palm and stared in surprise as Harry dropped the black ring, the _Sugilatio Flammae_ into his godfather's hand. Sirius eyed it lovingly, then glanced up at Harry. 

"Sure you don't want to keep it? Might come in handy later." He asked with a smile.

A strange look flitted across Harry's face, a look of guilt and of regret. He shook his head. 

"I really don't think that I deserve to have it, Sirius. I mean, I basically ignored it the whole time it was trying to help me, to warn me. I think you should take it back." Harry said firmly, but with a saddened edge in his voice. Sirius gazed at him a moment more, then gently grasped Harry's hand and placed the ring in his palm. 

"This ring has done more than you know. The entire time you had it on, I could see you, could see the things happening to you. It not only tried to warn you when evil was near, but it helped me keep an eye on you, giving Remus and myself the signal to bring up our forces." Sirius said gravely. Harry gazed at him in astonishment, his eyes wide. 

"You mean, you saw everything? Everything?" He whispered.

Sirius nodded slowly and eyed the ring lovingly. 

"It's got many secrets, that ring. I've had it for a long time. I only think that it's right that you keep it for now." Sirius said. Harry shook his head as he gazed first at the ring, then at Sirius. 

"You're in as much danger as I am. You should keep it." He said, trying to force the ring back into Sirius' hand. But Sirius pushed it away with a scoff. 

"Come now, Harry! Don't be an idiot. You know you're in more danger than I am any day. One does not turn down a _Sugilatio Flammae_, especially not when it is given by Sirius Black." Sirius said firmly, shoving the ring back into Harry's hands. Harry sighed and chuckled as he slipped the ring back onto his scorched hand, wincing as he did so. 

"I just can't force you to do anything, can I, Sirius?" Harry asked lightheartedly. 

To his surprise, his godfather's eyes softened greatly and he put his hand on Harry's shoulder, his throat constricting slightly as he stared at the boy before him. 

"You're just like your father. You know that, Harry? He used to tell me the same thing when we were in school, whenever he thought I was going over the line with one of my practical jokes. Like the time I cast a disfigurement charm on Lucius Malfoy so that it showed him looking like a monster whenever he looked in _any_ mirror in Hogwarts." Sirius laughed loudly and Harry did the same, envisioning a boy who looked very much like Draco staring at his disfigured face in horror. "Of course, he didn't know what it was because every other kid that looked in his or any other mirror just saw their normal selves. Your father wanted me to take the charm off after a couple hours, but I said no way. Why should _I_ ruin that wonderful sight? Lucius Malfoy, screaming like a girl because he looked like a complete idiot. 'Ahhh! A zit! A zit!'" A wistful look came over Sirius' face as he mimicked Malfoy shrilly. "Pretty soon, Malfoy told the head of Slytherin House, who _immediately_ saw what was going on and _only_ because he was a good guesser. I was serving detentions for months." Sirius said, shaking his head. Then he let out a wistful sigh. "Ah, those were the good old days." He said with a mischievous smile.

Harry had thrown his head back in laughter at the thought of his godfather pulling such a prank, and now Sirius looked upon him in a new light. He knew that James was never coming back, knew that Harry was only an identical copy, but not the _real_ James Potter. The real James Potter didn't have those green eyes, which revealed Lily Potter in their depths whenever he smiled, or furrowed his forehead in thought. 

__

Studious Lily, Industrious Lily, Scholarly Lily. She was so different from James in so many ways. She was rather like that one girl that Harry knows. What's her name? Hermione. Yes. Oh, Lily. 

And the real James Potter did not possess that lightning bolt scar on his forehead, a mark of power, and at the same time, defiance. But sometimes, sometimes when he glanced sideways at Harry, turned to tell him something, he almost called the boy 'Prongs', forgetting where he was and who he had become.

Sometimes when he looked at Harry, engrossed in conversation with his friends, the past cast shadows over the children of today, and instead became the children of yesterday. James Potter stood in front of Sirius Black, his blue eyes intense as he tried to talk Sirius out of some scheme, the latter standing in front of James looking completely bored, his arms crossed across his chest. Beside Sirius, stood Remus Lupin, looking completely solemn and uncaring about the outcome of the argument, but at the same time, there was a tugging on the corners of his mouth, and his bright eyes twinkled energetically. Beside James, looking back and forth from the combatants, twisting his fingers nervously as he tried to guess the outcome of the argument, stood Peter Pettigrew. Peter Pettigrew, before he became a rat, in more ways than one. James suddenly ceased to speak harshly to Sirius as he drew himself up, his blue eyes lighting up as he saw a carefree, nymph-like girl walking towards him, her long red hair bouncing on her shoulders, her green eyes sparkling brightly. 

__

Lily. Whenever Lily came around, James wasn't Prongs anymore. He was a totally different person, perhaps a better person. Perhaps.

But the shadows of the past cannot remain long in the present, and they soon faded from Sirius' view once more and the boy, the son of his friend, stood before him, looking up into his eyes curiously. 

"Sirius, did you really confront the Master's Mirror?" Harry asked quietly. Sirius jolted slightly, then straightened, his eyes stonily gazing off into the distance. 

"Yes. Although I didn't really realize what it was at the time. All I knew was that it was evil and it was giving me a choice: be evil, serve Voldemort and live, or die a brutal death. I chose death." Sirius spat out. "Then not long after, little _Peter_ gave in to the call of the mirror and began to plot your parents' downfall. It certainly is a cunning creation that." Sirius said with a scoff. 

Harry watched him tentatively, then turned slightly to look at Rhiannon, who sat beside Bill on the ground, the color slowly returning to her face. When he turned back, he noticed Sirius was also looking at the young D.A.D.A. teacher. 

"She's lucky to be alive. The others were not so lucky." Sirius said grimly. Harry looked at his godfather in surprise. 

"The others?" He asked. Sirius looked down knowingly at his godson before looking back at Rhiannon. 

"Yes, of course. You didn't think that Rhiannon was the only one working on this?" He asked. Harry nodded slowly.

"The mirror mentioned that there were others."

Sirius nodded knowingly, continuing to eye Rhiannon.

"Did you know them?" Harry asked slowly.

Sirius jolted slightly and eyed the ground before he turned to look down at Harry. 

"Yes, I knew them. Some of them more than others. One by one they were killed as the Dark Lord tried to gain control of the mirror. I could do nothing. Dumbledore told me to keep out of it. I don't know why. Flutterae came up with the main concept and worked on it the hardest." Sirius heaved a long sigh. "Now she's the only one left, what with Montgomery killed." Harry frowned and looked up at Sirius. 

"Montgomery?" He asked. 

Sirius shrugged and looked away. There was a look in his eyes that Harry didn't understand. It was a look of knowing, but also of pain.

"Melinda Montgomery helped Rhiannon build that _thing_, helped her conceive it. She was one of the younger ones." 

"Did you know her?"

A unusual look that Harry could not identify passed over Sirius's face. His lips twisted in a way that could have been showing disgust or pain. He blinked deliberately for a moment, and his Adam's apple bobbed. It looked to Harry like he was searching for something to say.  


"Yes, I did. Well." Sirius said shortly.

"Was she in your year?"

"Of course not. Two years younger."

Harry paused, unsure if he should even continue. Sirius's answers had been short, terse. They weren't encouraging answers. But still, Harry decided to press on.

"The Mirror said that she helped you escape from it."

"Did it?" Sirius snarled, his features suddenly becoming animated and sharp. "Well yes, she did. Idiot girl! Found me, warned me of what the Mirror would try to do. I chose death, and _she_ was punished for it. Stupid girl!" Sirius spat fiercely. 

Harry drew back slightly as Sirius' eyes became alight in anger and frustration.

"Did you know her parents died earlier this year and then she died after?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Of course I did!" Sirius said angrily. "And I could do nothing! If I could have gotten _some_ protection, if only a little so I could have helped Melinda, I could have saved her from getting killed. But no, she had to be an idiot all those years ago and help _me_. Never was very smart, that one." Sirius seethed.

"Obviously she _was_, because she saved you so that you'd be here right now! I wouldn't even _know_ you if she hadn't saved you, Sirius!" Harry said angrily. 

Harry had bristled at Sirius's comments about the woman Melinda Montgomery, but his final comment put Harry overboard. True, Harry didn't even know the woman, but he did know that she had saved Sirius for him, that she had given up her life so that he could live for Harry. If it wasn't for her, Harry wouldn't have a godfather. Sirius' eyes softened as Harry spoke and he wearily ran his hands over his face.

"I'm sorry, Harry. It's irritating, knowing that someone who deliberately put their life in danger for yours is in danger, _was_ in danger." Sirius almost whispered.

"There wasn't anything you could have done, Sirius." Harry said quietly.

"Exactly. Damnit! It's irritating being indebted to someone! Especially someone who's dead because of you!" Sirius hissed fiercely.

Harry smiled wistfully. 

"Yeah, I know." He whispered.

He did know. He was indebted to so many people for his life, but there was one person's sacrifice that he regretted, one person that he wished he could thank, could make it up to in some way: his Mother. She had given up her life so he could live, but what had he done to make that up to her? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Sirius looked down sharply at Harry, sensing the change in his tone. Almost as if he had read Harry's mind, he said gruffly,

"Your Mother wouldn't want you to regret her choice. She gave up her life so you could live. You're living. That's how you can make it up to her. Keep on living. Don't give up. Don't allow her sacrifice to be in vain." 

A lump rose in Harry's throat as he and Sirius stared at each other. That tortured look that Harry had seen that horrible day in third year in the Shrieking Shack had returned to Sirius's eyes. Sirius had lost Harry's father and mother as well. He had known them, had loved them. He and Harry were alike in many ways, but Sirius was making sure that Harry would never have to suffer as much as he had because of the actions of others.

"Harry," Sirius started. His voice was low, almost choked.

But he didn't get to finish his sentence. Remus Lupin approached them tentatively, his fingers running together nervously. It almost looked to Harry that Sirius was thankful to be distracted. Lupin smiled at Harry, then eyed Sirius.

"Sirius, Professor Dumbledore wants to have a few words with you." 

"I will be there shortly." Sirius said quietly. 

Lupin nodded and turned to Harry with a gentle smile. 

"Hullo, Harry. It's wonderful to see that you're alright! I wasn't sure if, well, never mind. You're safe." Lupin said, his soft voice easily expressing his gratitude.

"It's great to see you too, Professor! I'm so glad _you're_ alright!"

Harry grinned and looked over his old professor. Professor Lupin's face was gaunt, perhaps moreso than it had been in Harry's third year when he'd taught Defense against the Dark Arts. His robes seemed to hang off his body, and Harry could clearly see that there was a great distance between the man's flesh and the robes. If Lupin noticed Harry's look of worry as he scrutinized his old professor, he disregarded it and instead turned to Sirius with an incredulous look.

"Sirius, haven't you told him?" He whispered.

"I was just about to, _Lupin_," Sirius growled. "Until a certain person interrupted me."

Harry frowned and turned sharply to eye Sirius.

"What do you mean? What do you have to tell me?" 

"Harry, I've got to go away again. I've got to go away with Remus." Sirius said quietly, a regret so final resting in his eyes that Harry was filled with fear.

"But why? Can't I come with you?" Harry pleaded desperately. "I can't go back to the Dursleys _again_! I want to come with you! I don't care how dangerous it is! I'll bring my invisibility cloak and I'll be safe! Please, Sirius!" 

Sirius wavered visibly, but shook his head firmly. 

"Many of my enemies can see through invisibility cloaks, Harry. No, I can't take you. I've already got my hands full now. Other things to deal with on this journey. But," Sirius' eyes narrowed and he raised his fingers thoughtfully to his stubbled chin. "I don't want you staying with those Muggles anymore. I'll see if Professor Dumbledore will speak to the Weasleys about keeping you for the summer if you like. I know it can't make up for my not taking you, Harry, but it's the best I can do." Sirius said sadly, but with determination lacing his words. 

Harry heaved a great sigh as he looked up at his godfather in firm resolution. If Sirius was willing for him to stay, then he would stay. He knew what would be best. Besides, life wouldn't be _so_ bad if he was spending it with the Weasleys.

"Alright then." He sighed. 

Sirius smiled, then awkwardly placed his thin arms around Harry. Harry in turn, _threw_ his arms around his godfather, squeezing him tightly.

"Will you come back for me?" Harry choked as he squeezed Sirius, tighter, _tighter_. Sirius in turn did the same. His bony fingers pressed desperately into Harry's back, and he pulled him closer. 

"Of course I'll come back. Someday I'll be a free man, and then, then you can come and live with me. We'll be two obnoxious bachelors who never clean the house a nip, who women hate to love. Don't you worry, Harry." Sirius said gruffly as he pulled away from his godson. "I made someone a promise. And I intend to keep it." Sirius said as he winked at Harry, drew the cowl of his cloak up over his head and began to walk away. Harry cocked his head and called to Sirius, 

"Who'd you make a promise to?" 

Sirius turned around, continuing to walk, though there was a broad smile on his white face. 

"A ghost by the name of Prongs." Sirius called, turning back around. 

A tightness rose in Harry's throat as he stared after his godfather, knowing that his father had made Sirius promise to look after him, to take care of him and make sure he came to no harm. If Harry knew his godfather at all, he knew that Sirius would do that, even if it came to extremes.

Harry slowly turned to face Professor Lupin and smiled wanly. Lupin did not return the smile right away. There was a moistness resting in his eyes and his hands hung limply at his side as he watched Sirius depart. It looked to Harry, that he wanted to call out to Sirius, to say something more, but a minute later the look had disappeared and he had turned to smile warmly at Harry.

"It'll be alright, Harry. I'll see that he doesn't come to harm." Lupin said sincerely.

"Thanks, Professor." Harry said quietly. 

There was silence for a moment before Lupin peered fixedly at Harry.

"Harry, things are going to get bad very soon. And, well, the next time, I might not be there to help you." Lupin said quietly. 

"But we'll have someone, we'll have Dumbledore?" Harry said slowly, his confusion sprinkling his words. Lupin ran a hand through his hair wearily, a familiar gesture to Harry. He often did it when he was worried.

"I don't know, Harry. You shouldn't count on having anyone to protect you from now on. It would just be safer for you to assume the worst and plan accordingly. It may be the only way you'll escape another massacre like this." Lupin looked out across the battlefield wearily. "You should just be prepared. Be observant."

"Let me guess? Constant vigilance?" Harry said quietly, a weary tone in his voice.

Lupin turned to eye him sharply, then smiled.

"Ah, I see you remember _some_ of Alastor Moody's more repeated bits of advice."

"Yes, even though it wasn't really Moody." Harry countered.

"Nevertheless, even if it _had_ truly been Moody, he would have said the same, _constantly_." Lupin said with a smile. Harry nodded in submission, then was still a moment, thinking.

"Hey, do you want to see Ron and Hermione? I'm sure they'd love to see you, see that you're okay!"

Lupin brightened visibly, though he tried to look indifferent.

"Truly?"

"Why are you so surprised?"  


Lupin shrugged with an embarrassed air.

"I haven't gotten used to the fact that some people care whether I come or go."

Harry smiled broadly and motioned towards Lupin.

"C'mon, Professor."

Harry lead his old Professor through the crowds of witches and wizards who were talking to each other animatedly. Ron and Hermione were leaning up against one of Hogwarts' remaining walls speaking to each other quietly. Artemis and Ginny Weasley sat beside them on the grass, but they weren't listening. Both of the girls' eyes were closed and Ginny's head rested on Artemis' shoulder. Lupin smiled down at the sleeping girls, then sheepishly looked up at Ron and Hermione. Hermione blushed as she sprung upright, but Ron simply straightened and grinned at Lupin.

"It's good to see you, Professor!" Ron said enthusiastically.

"We didn't know what had happened to you! Where you were!" Hermione said quickly.

Lupin smiled and shrugged, fingering the tattered ends of his robes.

"Well, I'm alright. I'll have to go back into hiding, but it won't be for long. There's going to be another attack and we'll have to counter it." Lupin said soberly.  


"Do you know when or where?" Ron asked, his grin fading.

"I'm afraid I don't. But I have to manage to gather more forces soon. We mustn't be left unprepared." Lupin said, firmness lacing his words.

"No, of course not." Hermione murmured, looking slightly dazed by the news. 

Harry understood how she felt. He had just _finished_ a battle. He didn't even want to _think_ about the next one. He was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts as Bill Weasley passed them, helping Rhiannon to stand from her place on the ground. The paleness had faded from Rhiannon's face and her eyes were once more alight with that fierce energy that Harry admired.

"Professor Lupin, this is our Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Rhiannon Flutterae." Harry said suddenly, indicating the young teacher. 

Lupin turned to face Rhiannon, and slight smile curved across Rhiannon's lips as she slowly raised her hand. Harry watched as a similar smile spread across Lupin's lips as he accepted Rhiannon's small hand and shook it.

"Professor, your reputation precedes you." Lupin said quietly.

"I was just about to say the same about you, Professor." Rhiannon said, blushing slightly.

"Which is hardly true. I'm not nearly that interesting. Congratulations on the success of your plan. We couldn't have done it without your help." Lupin said sincerely.

Rhiannon's blush grew redder and she shrugged.

"I was only doing as I was bid."

Harry watched as the two continued to talk. There was something curious about this. When Lupin had looked at Rhiannon, and their eyes had met, they seemed to already know each other. Harry couldn't explain _how_ he came to that conclusion. There had been a look in their eyes that betrayed them.

"Tell me, Professor, what have you covered this year? Have you covered Bean-Nighes or Leshies yet?" Lupin asked seriously, crossing his arms across his chest.

Rhiannon shook her head and leaned back against the wall.

"I'm afraid not. I felt that Bean-Nighes would be suitable for a lighter discussion in sixth year. You know, during mid-term when the children are sick of studying." Rhiannon said with a smile.

A smile flitted across Lupin's face as he continued.

"What about the jinn?"  


"No, not yet. I was wondering if you could give me a few pointers about them though. I've heard through Professor Dumbledore that you're quite the expert."

"Only a trifle."

Harry looked away as the two Defense against the Dark Arts teachers continued to speak about their craft. Instead, he focused on his godfather and Professor Dumbledore, were standing only a little ways away. He leaned up against the wall and looked as indiscreet as possible, so that they would not know that he could hear them. Dumbledore was smiling at Sirius, his eyes twinkling brightly. 

"It is a good day, young Black." He said calmly. 

Sirius chuckled and shrugged. 

"It's a good day, but I'm going to have to disagree with you about the 'young' part, Headmaster." He said shrewdly. 

Dumbledore chuckled and clasped his fingers together, waiting for Sirius to continue. Sirius seemed to hesitate from continuing however, and instead, his lips curled into a look of disgust. 

"Do I _have_ to, Dumbledore?" He asked, a whining tone entering his voice. Dumbledore simply nodded. Sirius let out an angry scoff. "Bloody hell, Dumbledore! He's that slimy git's kid! He's probably _worse_!" Sirius protested. 

Again, Dumbledore nodded. 

"Probably." He concurred.

Sirius glared daggers at Dumbledore.

"Why ME? Why do _I_ have to take care of him, huh?" 

"Because he is now in great danger because of his actions." Dumbledore explained patiently. 

"Then he should have stayed on Voldemort's good side where he belonged." Sirius snapped. Dumbledore cast a reproving look at Sirius, but said nothing. Sirius rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest. "Fine. Whatever. I'll do it. But you, or _somebody_, owes me BIG time." Sirius muttered as he strode away swiftly.

Harry couldn't understand what was going on. _What_ did Sirius not want to do? He watched as Sirius strode away from him. He'd just have to ask him later.

Draco Malfoy had just about had enough of all the happiness going on around him. It was frankly, making him sick. Then there were the people coming up to _him _and thanking _him_. Bloody hell! He didn't want to be THANKED! He wanted to get OUT of there, just so he could think. Think about what he'd done. Now that he'd totally denounced his father and his ways. 

__

You know what that means don't you? His mind whispered. _It means that now you're on the same side as people like goody-goody Granger and Potter. Are you insane? _

Draco merely rolled his eyes. If only he hadn't let his defenses down for Artemis, things would have been a lot more simple. Because of that, because he'd trusted her, he'd learned to trust Flutterae. _Now_ look where it had gotten him. Now he was with the people his father called, 'do-gooders with no actual brains in their heads.' 

"Oh, what now?" Draco muttered under his breath as he saw the tall form of Sirius Black striding towards him. 

Despite his spiteful tone, he couldn't help but be fearful of the man, only a little. After all, it _was_ Sirius Black. He'd supposedly murdered his own childhood friend and tons of other Muggles around him. Not like that was a _bad_ thing, but still. He remembered owling his father about him in third year when Black had escaped. His father didn't know anything about Black.

"Our Master had never mentioned him before," Lucius had mused in his letter. "But then, there were many things we did not know. But if it turns out that Black _is_ our Master's supporter and he shows up, do _not_ hinder him. Let him do what he wishes and get it over with."

Well, obviously Sirius Black was _not_ a supporter of 'Our Master'. He had saved his life. As much as Draco was glad to be alive, he couldn't help but be irritated at the fact that he was in this man's debt. Draco looked up expectantly at the man as he stopped in front of him, his pale eyes gazing down at him. But he said nothing.

"Well? Are you going to do _anything_ or are you just gonna stare?" Draco finally asked impatiently as he watched the man. 

Sirius scoffed and glared at the boy. 

"Don't act like such an ass. You sound just like your Mother." 

Draco's eyes widened, but he did not protest, for the very idea had crossed his own mind as he had said those words. He instead glared at Sirius and pressed his lips together tightly. 

"Look, kid," Sirius started. 

"Draco Malfoy." Draco cut in. 

Sirius took a deep breath and stared at Draco. 

"Look, Malfoy, you don't have anywhere to go, and just so you know, this wasn't my fault." Sirius said in one breath. 

Draco stared at Black in disbelief. What was he on about? What did he mean, nowhere else to go? 

"What are you talking about?" He asked coldly. 

"Look, I've done a lot of things I never thought I'd have to do. I've experienced a lot of awful things, but taking you with me and keeping you safe is probably the worst thing I've EVER been forced to do." Sirius snapped. For once in his life, Draco Malfoy was struck into silence. His mouth dropped open as he stared at Sirius. Sirius sighed and threw his hands in the air. "You think I like this? Huh? Do you? Well, I sure as hell hope not, because it's the worst idea I've bloody well ever heard of! But Dumbledore wants me to and frankly, _buddy_, you have nowhere to go." Sirius spat angrily.

Finally, Draco found his voice and when he did, he exploded. 

"ME!! To live with YOU? Dumbledore is off his rocker!" 

Sirius scoffed and smacked his hand in his fist. 

"I heartily agree! But we can't do anything about it because if you don't come with me, I'll knock you out and _then_ drag you along!" Sirius snarled. 

"I don't need ANYONE to tell me where to go and what to do! I'm a Malfoy and," Draco protested. 

"PRECISELY why I don't want you along! But we already discussed this, DIDN'T we?" Sirius snapped. 

Draco's eyes narrowed to mere slits and he glared at Sirius, then slowly crossed his arms across his chest.

"When do we leave then?" 

Sirius scoffed and threw his arms up in the air. 

"How the hell should I know? Whenever Lupin says we pull out." He muttered. 

"Well, I bloody well hope it's soon. I don't know how much longer I can take all this _love_." Draco muttered, glaring at the people around him. Sirius merely glared at the boy and shook his head, muttering to himself. 

__

Harry watched his godfather argue with Draco for a moment, before shaking his head and turning back to Ron and Hermione. 

"Give it to him, Sirius." Harry muttered under his breath, hoping that his godfather was giving Draco hell for, well, anything. 

Harry smiled winningly at his friends, glad that for the moment, the battle was over and that they were safe. Hermione returned the smile, but Ron only managed a sour grimace. 

"What's the matter?" Harry asked him. 

"Yeah, you look like you just swallowed a toad." Artemis said with a smile as she yawned and got unsteadily to her feet. She settled beside Harry, comfortably slipping her arm around his shoulder. 

Harry smiled at her and she returned it before replacing it with a look of concern. Ron simply scoffed, but winced slightly as he moved his arm. It was still paining him, though Madame Pomfrey had performed the 'attaching spell' on it, bringing the bones back together quite painfully. Ron slowly jerked his head to the right of him. His friends turned and clearly saw what he was glaring about. Professor Lupin had left Rhiannon and she, though pale, was VERY much recovered and was laughing at something Bill had said. Bill was perched VERY near to her, never taking his eyes off her for a moment. 

"Oh c'mon, Ron. I think it's hopeless. You really can't do anything." Hermione said sensibly. Ron shrugged sadly. 

"Yeah, I know, but still. I wish I could do something! I mean, Rhia's NOTHING like Bill! I mean, just LOOK at Bill!" Ron said, jerking his thumb at his older brother. "Long, greasy hair, swanky leather clothes, dangly fang earring, and I know that he's got a tattoo." Ron spat. The others stared at him in amazement. He threw his hands in the air helplessly. "WHAT? He does! It's on his upper arm. He's got the Gryffindor crest on it. Anyway, _she_ doesn't have ANYTHING like that." He said disapprovingly. 

Just then, Rhiannon turned towards an inquiring Professor McGonagall and the arm of her robe was caught on one of the bushes beside her. The sleeve jerked up and Ron let loose a strangled cry as the girl's white arm was exposed. There on her upper arm was a brilliant tattoo: a full-bloomed rose with a moon in the background, a beautiful mix of deep red and gold. 

Apparently, Rhiannon heard Ron's cry, because she jerked her head towards him, a worried look spread across her face. When she saw that he was perfectly alright, she glanced down at her exposed arm and smiled, jerking the sleeve back over it. She whispered something to Bill, then made her way over to Ron, who glared at her and crossed his arms across his chest. 

"Traitor." Ron spat. Rhiannon smiled, but opened her eyes wide in surprise. 

"What are you talking about, Ron?" She asked, her eyes twinkling. 

"YOU, that's what." 

For a moment, Rhiannon's eyes became seriously worried and fearful, afraid perhaps that he was referring to her relation to the mirror, but Ron did not notice it. 

"You never told me you had a _tattoo_." He muttered angrily. Rhiannon's face cleared and was filled with relief. She cast him a grateful smile.

"Oh, Ron. I just forgot to tell you about it. I didn't know I had to tell you ALL that I did to myself. I plan to double pierce my ears soon, alright?" Rhiannon said winningly, winking at him. It did no good. Ron merely glowered in her direction. Rhiannon's face softened and she placed one hand on his shoulder. "Look, Ron, I know you don't like what's going on," She started. 

"You're right! I HATE it! It's not fair! I've only just seen you again! Hell, I haven't ever been able to have a decent conversation with you because Fred and George and the others are always taking up your time. And THEN, just when you finally come to Hogwarts, you're my D.A.D.A. teacher, and a bloody good one too, and then I FINALLY think I'll be able to have you to myself somewhat, HE comes!" Ron said accusingly, pointing wildly at Bill. Rhiannon smothered a smile as she saw Ron take another breath and begin again. "And then, he comes and he starts trying to woo you and kiss you and stuff and then POOF! I never see you again! You're always with BILL, or somebody else. It's irritating." Ron said simply. 

"Are you done?" Rhiannon asked tentatively. Ron shrugged. 

"I guess I just wanted to spend some time with you by myself. I dunno. It's just like it is in my life all the time. I have to _share_ with my siblings." Ron grumbled. Rhiannon smiled gently and squeezed Ron's shoulder. 

"Listen, Ron, we can't change the past, but I do want you to be a part of my future. I mean, c'mere." She then pulled Ron close to her and she whispered in his ear. Ron's eyes widened at what she said, then he grinned. 

"Bloody hell!" He ejaculated as he pulled away. Then he turned and called to Bill, "HEY, BILL! YOU'RE BLOODY QUICK AREN'T YOU?! YOU DEVIL!" 

Rhiannon blushed and pulled at Ron's shoulder. 

"So you see? We'll be able to have some time together. I don't intend to leave D.A.D.A. anyway. We're not going away immediately and Bill still has to resolve things with Gringotts. It'll work out, and in the meantime, we'll have some time to ourselves." Rhiannon said with a smile. Ron grinned triumphantly and nodded. "Deal?" Rhiannon asked as she stuck out her hand. Ron looked at it, then stuck out his own callused hand and shook his teacher's. 

"Deal." He answered. 

Rhiannon smiled, then pulled him to her in a quick hug. He blushed slightly, but held her several minutes before she pulled away. Then from behind them, they heard Remus speaking to a cloaked Sirius, 

"We should start talking about when we're going to leave, Sirius." He said patiently. Then Rhiannon turned around and smiled winningly at the wizards. 

"I do hope you can stay for just a little longer. You see, there's going to be a wedding." 

************************************************************************

**__**

Author's Note: Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!! WEDDING BELLS!! *sigh* I just LOVE weddings. Lol. Anywho, I really hoped you guys liked this chapter!!! I personallly think that I overdid it MAJORLY. There are sooooo many clues for what's gonna happen in the next one that I think are rather obvious, but then again, **I** know what's happening in the next one, so they're probably not THAT obvious. But I'm interested to hear your ideas on it. *chuckles evilly* Can you see the hints??Lol. Seriously though, I hope you enjoyed this chappy. I hope it answered all your questions......or at least most of them. ;-) Come now, I couldn't answer ALL of them!! There's still the sequel to be posted!! LoL! Lemme see, how many chapters are left?? Lemme count......OH. MY. GOODNESS!!!! Only TWO!!! Oh NO!!!! *sniffle* I don't want this one to be OVER!!! OH, man am I gonna miss you guys!! But hopefully, the production on the second one will pick up a little more and it will be done soon after. The next chapter is gargantuan, so that should hold you off for a BIT, but not much. I'll just try to space them out as much as I possibly can, buy myself extra time. But even though this story will soon be over, it doesn't mean that I'll quit writing. Heck no! I'll write songfics and such, and of course, I'll be working on the sequel to this and maybe I'll edit my LOTR story or something. I already re-edited my LOTR story, "A New Day", and I was pleased with the finished product. So who knows? I might endeavor to take on my really long LOTR fic, "Aure Entuluva". 

And speaking of writing, must get back to you guys on my novel front: I recently finished editing it for the bajillionth time and sent it in yesterday to a friend, who is an editor. I am absolutely giddy with excitement to see what she says, so cross your fingers for me, 'kay guys?? ;-) I am so excited! I really don't wanna reveal too much of the plot here, just in case it doesn't fly, but who knows, I might change my mind. *sigh* It's my baby. Now I understand what professional writers mean when they say that they hate it when their story gets slammed because it feels personal. You put so much into a book, especially your first book. My characters seem SO real, mainly because I've drawn them from personal experiences. I can only hope that I can share them with you soon!! ;-) I'll be sure to keep you guys posted on the progress!! Alright! On to the Thank You's!!!!

****

Takari4ever: Hey! How are ya? I'm really glad you liked the last chapter! I really enjoyed writing the parts with the ghosts! I'm glad you liked that idea! I wasn't sure if it was gonna fly when I first came up with it. I was trying to keep J.K. Rowling's ideas about ghosts into account, but it all worked out so that I didn't break any rules. Oh man! I LOVE Sirius! Doesn't he just rock? He's just too cool. The part where Draco and Lucius fight and Draco is saved by Sirius is one of my favorite parts of that chapter!! It was so fun and satisfying to write! :-) Thanks so much for your review!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last!!

****

bmw: _Hello!!! Welcome to my story!!! Thank you so much for your review! Thank you so much for your compliments!!! It's always great to meet someone who writes and takes it seriously! Oh you never know! You keep trucking and you might just get published! That would be so amazing! I'd be so proud of ya! ;-) Thank you so much for your kind words about the story! I was so worried about putting this up at first. I really, seriously thought people would abhor it and I'm continually, genuinely amazed at the kind things people have said about it! It's so amazing! Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the little HP facts. I came up with that idea and thought it would be kinda fun for a chapter...........then people really liked it, so I kept putting it in!! I hope you like this week's!! Thanks so much for your review!! I hope you liked this chapter!!! :-)_

****

Gold Eyed Falcon: Hello!! How are ya?? Lol! I'm glad the last chapter didn't take you a week to read! ;-) Lol! I love Martin! Although he's not in this story very much (he will be more in the sequel) I absolutely love him! He's such a stitch! But yeah, he'll be in the sequel to this a LOT more, and we get to find out some things about him that we don't know about in THIS one. ;-) The scene where Draco stood up to Lucius is probably my favorite scene out of the last chapter. It was so fun and satisfying to write. Lol. I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story!! I aim to please!! ;-) It's so much fun reading what you guys have to say! Thanks for the review!!

****

Songbreeze Swifteye: Hello! It's great to have you here! Thanks so much for reviewing my story! I'm always really tickled when I get a new reviewer! It just makes me SO happy! Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad you like it!

****

ElveNdestiNy: _ Hey! It's great to hear from you!!_ _I figured you were just busy and that was why you hadn't come around in a while. BELIEVE ME, I do know what that's like! Plus it's almost the end of the school year for lots of you guys and you're getting dumped on with school. Understandable. I just kinda have staggered the chapters so that everybody catches up! ;-) Lol! I'm so glad that you like Artemis and Rhiannon! I was so worried when I put this story up that they would be considered Mary-Sues or something worse, although, there's nothing worse than one of your characters being called a Mary-Sue. ;-) But seriously, that was one of the issues that held me back from posting for a while. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to accomplish the task of writing a realistic, likable original character and inserting them plausibly into the HP world. I hope I've managed to succeed. :-)_ _I didn't see the Diggory Kirke connection for a long time EITHER!! Isn't that funny? The Narnia books are some of my ultimate favorite books ever! Aren't they just phenomenal? So awesome. Yeah, I have noticed lots of LOTR stuff or tendencies in other fantasy books. Unfortunately, I think it's unavoidable. That's why I wouldn't trust myself to write original fantasy! ;-) Thank you SO much for all your compliments! I love reading them and as corny as it sounds, I DO blush and I DO appreciate every word! I love writing author's notes actually! I like to try to connect with you guys and, as you said, give the reviewers a better understanding of me. I think you should know your audience, even if it's a small one and know what they like and dislike, even if it has nothing whatsoever to do with your story. It's like writing a letter and then getting tons of replies back. I LOVE writing to you guys! Thanks again for reviewing!_

****

Quiet One: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!! I'M ANGRY!!!..................C'mon! You really think I would be?? Huh? :-) Of course not! I'm just glad you've arrived! Oh good! I'm really glad that you liked the previous chapter as well as the chapter before that. I wasn't sure how you guys would take to that one. I'm so paranoid. I'm always worrying if I wrote it well, if it was up to MY standards......it's crazy, and YES I am a perfectionist. ;-) It is going to be REALLY exciting when the fifth book comes out! VERY exciting! I can't wait to see how it comes out. Have you seen the cover yet? Very cool. My goodness, Harry's grown over the summer. ;-) It is sad how few people take Latin now. It's such a rich language, but no one realizes it. Of course, I do understand the argument that Spanish is more useful, but Latin has it's advantages, just not as many as Spanish. It is depressing though. :-) Thank you SO much for your kind comments! I will certainly keep you guys updated on the process of my book!! Talk to ya later!! :-)

****

(THE ORIGINAL) Silver Elf: *chuckles* I couldn't help but do that. Lol! Fortunately, I have never had the problem with logging in and so forth, though I HAVE had the problem with the weird 'site overload' thing. Really, it's quite irritating, but of course, the whole site could be closed down. Should count my blessings. *rolls eyes* I am indeed glad that you are alive!! Though it sounds like just barely. :-) Ahhh, where are Fred and George?? Well, tis rather pointless to answer that question as you've already read THIS chapter, but I will anyway. :-) They were somewhat in a limbo of sorts, waiting for the potion to take full effect. Once Snape got the ingredients for the Resurrection spell, he gave them a second potion, which returned their strength to them. Lol! Right, no killing of Weasleys! ;-) I have seen the second Star Wars and I agree with you on the comparison between Yoda and Dumbledore. It's a very good comparison. Oh yes, weirded is INDEED a word! One that I use frequently. :-)   


**__**

"omg! lucuis would kill his own son?!? DOWN WITH THE BEAST. forget everything i said earlier...its open playing now."

Oh my gosh! You have NO idea how hard I laughed when I read that part of your review! I was just laughing SO hard! Of course I agree whole-heartedly, but it was just GREAT! Classic. LOL!! Oh you're not a pathetic loser for only seeing TT twice. You and me, we're in the same boat. Lol. I don't have time AND it's not out here anymore. :-( _Hmmm, horrible death. I've got my ideas, but I'm not sure I should share them. If I decide to write a horrible death in the sequel to this, I don't wanna give you guys hints. Yes, tis selfish, but still. :-p I agree that Harry should be an animagus. I was quite bummed when I heard that. *sniffle* But it's for the best..........I suppose. Humph. LOL! That's it! I'm really J.K. Rowling and my book is ACTUALLY the fifth book! YES! You're right! Lol! Just playin'! Thank you for your flattering comments though! Way to make me BLUSH!! :-) Actually, as I said above, I've finally finished the immense job of editing it to the best of my ability and will be sending it out as soon as possible. I have just asked a friend (who IS an editor) if she would take a look at it for me. I should hear back from her soon, but I'll definitely keep you guys posted. I actually wanna keep the plot and other details around it quiet for now, just until I get a break.........of course, that's assuming I GET one. But we'll see. I might change my mind. :-) Thanks for your review!! _  
  
_  
**Torrential Zephyr: **T.Z., you naughty ff writer, where have you been!!! Ahhhh, yes........carousing in Paris and Barcelona you lucky duck. You little stinker. I'm so envious. But I do understand about the busy schedule. Totally understand! Don't feel rushed or anything on my account. :-) Hope to hear from you soon!!_

**__**

Leaf: Hey! I'm really glad you liked the previous chapter! Hope you liked this one just as much! I'm quite fond of Martin myself, so I was really glad that he made another appearance. Better watch out, you might be seeing more of him. Hmmmm. I wonder. I guess I'd never really thought of Petunia just because she's got such a bad attitude towards wizards and witches and she's so opposed to them. But who knows? It could be. GAAAHHHHH! LEAF! YOU STILL HAVEN'T SEEN TT????!!!!! GAAAHH!!! **I'M** ready to hurt you!!! Lol! Just kiddin'! Lol! You've been watching FotR to keep from getting Legolas deprived as well? Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one. ;-) Although it's not as good because Legolas had so many GREAT shots in the second film. *sigh* Can't wait till it comes out on video. I agree with you! It was really fun to write my novel, a lot of hard work, but still very much worth it. It is my baby. ;-) Truly though, the characters are truly alive in my mind and I hope it gets received well when I send it out. Cross your fingers!!! :-) Thanks so much for your review!! :-)

**__**

Moanda: Hey! Don't you hate it when the site poops out and won't let you leave reviews or won't load properly?? I most certainly do. Especially with all this, "The site is busy, come back in a few minutes". Oooookay! But what if I don't HAVE a few minutes?? Hmmmm?? :-) But I'm glad you were persistant!! :-) I agree with you about Snape. I think that he is indeed on the side of good, though he continually appears to be otherwise. I sincerely hope that Snape STAYS good in the books. He's a really fun character to write, mainly because he's such a jerk. Jerks are fun to write. ;-) I agree that Rowling will probably reveal more stuff about Snape in later books. Oh Ron is definetly my favorite character! His family is also my favorite. You're right! They just keep on truckin', loyal all the way, no matter what happens!! No wonder they're all in Gryffindor! How could Ron even THINK that he'd be put into Slytherin!! Lol!! I'm glad you liked the scene between Draco and Lucius. It's such a cool thing, to write an epiphany of a character, a crossroads. I really hope that I didn't make the change sudden, I hope I managed to make it gradual so that he wasn't out of character in that scene. The part where Harry's Mum was fighting alongside him was a very emotional part for me to write. I'm just a very emotional person. I like to tap into the possible feelings of the characters and write what I feel. Oh, I don't think J.K.'s done with Lupin and Sirius. I know that in my sequel to this, they're DEFINETLY not done. There's alot more left to write about Lupin and Sirius. I'm sure J.K. will do more with them in the books though. Hmmm......will George's heart be broken, or will Draco's??? Difficult to answer. We'll just have to see. There WILL be something of a resolution at the end of this story. Sort of. You'll have to decide for yourself when the time comes. :-) I agree with you! *I* wouldn't want to have to make that decision!!! It would definetly be cool to be in the Harry Universe! This is about as close as I will get. ;-) Well, I hope this explained most of the stuff for you!! :-) And if I didn't, don't worry! There's still the sequel!! ;-) Oh don't worry about writing too much in reviews! I do indeed love long reviews!! I love talking to you guys and learning about what you think of the story! It helps the writing process IMMENSELY!!! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!!! Thanks for the review!!! 

****

Hollie: GAHHHH!!! HOLLIE!! *gives Hollie gargantuan hug* How ARE you???!!! Gosh! Where've you been?? Of COURSE I can forgive you! I understand about busy schedules!! Believe ME. :-) I'm just glad you made it here! 

**__**

"let it suffice to say that this chapter reached a level of excellence I did not know was possible. You're a tremendous writer T.H, really awe-inspiring. The entire chapter was just amazing, you had me on the edge of my chair the entire time. And Jessica's speech at the end... god, I almost cried! So very powerful, the whole thing."

Thank you so much, Hollie!! I was blushing so hard when I read that. Lol! I do a lot of that here it seems. :-) Lucky, ducky, already got her copy reserved. I DON'T!!! I'll probably just have to rent it at my lowly little library. ;-) GAAHH!! TT FIVE TIMES!! Sheesh!!! I envy you!! Yeah, I LOVED the Gollum/Smeagol combat scene. It was SO phenomenal, so cool how they did it. I was wondering how they'd manage to do that before I saw it, and I think they did a spectacular job. Oh yes!! Hail the return of Sirius and Remus!!! I LOVE them. *snigger* I loved the part when Sirius flipped Voldemort off. He's so crude. :-) "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black." Lol. I'm so glad that you like the little Hp facts at the end of the chapters! I think I'm gonna try to keep doing them till the end of the story. They're just fun to put in. :-) Yeah, who would have EVER thought that Ron and Hermione would hook up?? Hmmm. :-) 

****

  
"And you know what? I'm not that crazy about waiting for june 21 anymore. I honest to god don't see how J.K. Rowling could write something better than this. I'm not exagerating, not trying to like, be all 'oh my gosh, this is good' just to be nice, I'm speaking the honest truth. Your writing is above almost anything I've ever read. And without a shadow of a doubt it's the best work I've read on any fan site. Amazing, simply amazing. The quality of this story has come so far, and that's saying a lot since the first chapter was amazing." 

__

WOW, Hollie. Thank you SO much for that hefty praise! I only hope that I can truly live up to this. Thank you so much. I am so........gosh. Thank you. Thank you SO much. That's really all I can say. It's so amazing to read what you think and to see that you hold such a high regard for me and my stuff. It's truly humbling and amazing, and I only hope that I can continue to write so well. Thank you so much. Every time I get reviews, I'm amazed and honored by your guys' comments. It's so amazing. Thank you so much!!   


**__**

Kora: Ahhhhh, my dear buddy Kora!!! How are you?? Good I hope! GAH!! Six TIMES!!! How I envy you. :-) I'm stuck here waiting for the stupid dvd and am slowly going through Legolas withdrawal, though _I helped it somewhat by watching "Black Hawk Down". He wasn't in it that much, but he's still a cutie. GOSH, what a FAB movie!! So sad, but so good. Fabulous. I recommend it. Awfully bloody, but still good. Poop!! Why no RotK trailer??? That's just not fair. Bummer! Of course that's sort of good. That way, you won't be able to see it so I won't have to be envious of you because you did!! ;-) PJ KILLED LUCIUS????!!!! Omygosh. Mind you, I didn't keep up with that stuff too much, but I DID know about Lucius. That's just wrong. Lol, I'm so glad I make HP bearable for you. I think it's because, you know that I know and have read all the tolkien stuff, all the lewis stuff and know about true fantasy. You know that I won't do anything stupid and won't touch stuff I can't handle. I am not angry or upset that you wrote so much about fantasy and Hp in your last review. I agree with all of it. As much as I like Hp and have grown fond of it and its characters, it will never be TRUE fantasy. That's Tolkien, Lewis, etc. Terry Brooks' Shannara series are definetly LOTR copied, rather obvious, no? ;-) I have read all the things you mentioned here, Screwtape letters, all the Tolkien stuff, and the other novels you listed, with the exception of Anne McCaffery. Just never was very energetic about it. I agree. I think that 13 year olds CAN read Tolkien. Just take it slow guys, it's not that hard. Slowly is the only way to go. Heck, *I* had to take it slow at first! Only the exceptionally talented can read Tolkien fast AND comprehend it's meanings. So no, don't be ashamed that you used the review for a soapbox (lol). I agree with you totally. I'm glad you approved of the reform of Draco. I was worried that I had made his sort-of-reform too quick, he just all of a sudden leapt into it. I hope I didn't do that. Yes, I have unfortunately read many of those stories like that: Draco is the victim and never meant anything he ever said. Of COURSE he did. He was venomous, when you're venomous, you MEAN it. I agree that Draco is a victim in SOME ways, but mainly I think it was the way he was raised, who he was surrounded with. A change doesn't come overnight, and it still hasn't for Draco. He's stood up to his father, but there's a lot more struggles left for him. He can't just be happy-go-lucky Draco all of a sudden. I wouldn't give him the pleasure. ;-) Oh man, do I know what you mean about friends who THINK they're into fantasy, when they really aren't. I have several friends like that. Not online, on ff.net, but still. It's completely obnoxious, especially when they're saying they know so much about it, yet all they've done is watch LOTR and read a few kiddie books about King Arthur, when you've read "The Once and Future King" SEVERAL times now. I do indeed understand that peeve. I do understand. There are gonna be people like that out there who want nothing more than to be the next J.K. Rowling, and some of them, sadly, will get published because there are so many people like that person who refuse to read actual fantasy and so love stuff like theirs. Don't feel insecure because of it. You're a fab writer! Always have been. And I definitely think that if you stick with it, you could be another great writer. I'm positive that if anybody I know gets published, it'll be you. And I'll be so proud to know you. You're not being horrible and elitist and selfish. It's a normal reaction, an understandable reaction. All you can do is be tolerant and work your hardest on YOUR work, on YOUR passion. The aggravation will never stop, there'll still be people out there like that. You've just got to practice tolerance. Believe me, it's HARD!! But worth it. I'm glad you intend upon reading the fifth book. I'm glad. It'll be kinda hard for me, as I've written MY version of the fifth book. I'll probably be stupid and will confuse some of the stuff from mine in hers. Lol. Stupid me. _

  
**_"if you were the hp author, the world would be right. because you would make everything right. you wouldn't be snobby about it, and you'd thank who you needed to thank, and you just wouldn't let teeny people read your stuff. you'd yell at them for it. i'd like it better if you were the author. you really deserve it."_**

Kora, you live to make me blush. Gosh, you would have been laughing at how red I was getting and how big my smile was when I read that section of your review. Thank you SO much. It means SO much coming from you and I appreciate it immensely. I hold your opinions in such high regard because you're like the first person who ever reviewed me and have stuck with me ever since I've been here on ff.net. It's such an honor to have your opinion and to be your buddy. :-)

As to the novel........like I said above, I'm not sure if I'll let the plot loose yet. I MIGHT to you, ;-), but who knows. Lol! I hope you don't waste away!!! Lol! I'll try to work SOMETHING out!! Maybe tell you the plot or something! We've really gotta start e-mailing again. ;-)   
  
**_"i know you'll get something published. even if this in its current incarnation doesn't, you will. you have too much talent not too. the novel world is just a really brutal world. i had workshops about it at a conference this summer. it's like near impossible to get published, especially on the first time out. but this experience will make you all the awesomer, no matter how it turns out. and i'm perfectly confident that some day, i'll pick up a new york times bestseller book by you on a shelf in barnes and nobles."_**

Again, you would have been laughing at me if you could see my face. Thank you so much, buddy It means so much to me to have your support and your praise! Luv you SOOO much ff.net buddy!! 

**__**

Okay guys, time for more HP stuff. As in the previous chapter, I'm gonna tell you some stuff about the other HP books. You might want to pay attention to some of these. I might just be putting these in for fun, but some of them might be giving you information about stuff that will happen in my stories later.

In honor of HP and the Order of the Phoenix being released in only a few months *YAY*, I'm going to put this up here for those of you who may not have seen it, though I'm sure many of you have. Here is the official summary for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix":

"I say to you all, once again – in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust."

So spoke Albus Dumbledore at the end of Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwarts. But as Harry enters his fifth year at wizard school, it seems those bonds have never been more sorely tested. Lord Voldemort's rise has opened a rift in the wizarding world between those who believe the truth about his return, and those who prefer to believe it's all madness and lies – just more trouble from Harry Potter.

****

Add this to a host of other worries for Harry… 

·**A Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey **

·**A venomous, disgruntled house-elf **

·**Ron as keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team **

·**And of course, what every student dreads: end-of-term Ordinary Wizarding Level exams**

…and you'd know what Harry faces during the day. But at night it's even worse, because then he dreams of a single door in a silent corridor. And this door is somehow more terrifying than every other nightmare combined. 

In the richest installment yet of J.K. Rowling's seven-part story, Harry Potter confronts the unreliability of the very government of the magical world, and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts. 

Despite this (or perhaps because of it) Harry finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew; boundless loyalty, and unbearable sacrifice. 

Though thick runs the plot (as well as the spine), readers will race through these pages, and leave Hogwarts, like Harry, wishing only for the next train back.

~*~

****

IN ADDITION, the book gives more text of the opening lines: 

The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive. ... The only person left outside was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back...[fades out] 

****

WOW!! I got Ron being Keeper RIGHT!! He was Keeper in MY story too!! Yeah! Hooray for me!!! :-) Hmmm, who d'ya think the venomous house-elf is?? Winky? That would be my guess. *chuckles evill* Can't wait to see who the D.A.D.A. teacher is. She definitely sounds....intersting. :-) And remember guys, somebody big is dying in this book. :-O I think........well, here's my opinion. Hagrid. I've got certain reasons for that, but I wanna know what you all think. Here's some more stuff for ya'll. :-) 

Book Five book will be titled "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." 

Book Five will be 255,000 words - almost a third longer than Goblet of Fire. 

In Book Five, we go into a whole new area, physically; an area we've never seen before, a magical world. 

In Book Five, Harry has to examine exactly what death means, in even closer ways. 

The Dursleys are in Book Five, and there's stuff coming with them that people might not expect. 

It's very important to the plot that Harry has his mother's eyes and that her wand was very good for charms. 

Harry will never have a dragon for a pet. He might have a different pet in the future, but Rowling isn't dropping hints about what it might be. 

Harry has never used the Internet. Dudley is the only one who has a computer, and Harry gets beaten up if he goes too near the keyboard. Wizards don't need to use the Web. They have an even better way to find out what's happening in the outside world, which Rowling says is more fun than the Internet, but she's not giving hints. 

The choice between what's right and what's easy will be a pillar of the plot in Harry's last 3 years. 

The "Arabella Figg" Dumbledore refers to at the end of book four is indeed the same Mrs. Figg that takes care of Harry for the Dursleys in book one. *I think we all sort of guessed that. :-)*

We'll be seeing Mrs. (Arabella) Figg in Book Five, and we'll find out all about her. 

Harry's parents' profession will be a big part of the plot. 

We will find out why Voldemort killed Lily and James Potter. 

Something HUGE will be revealed about Lily Potter. 

We will learn more about why some witches/wizards become ghosts and others do not. 

There will be a female Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher. (Mrs. Figg?? Yes? No? Maybe? *whispers* Please don't let it be Fleur, please don't let it be Fleur. Sorry, I didn't like her. Thought she was a snot)

We'll see Lupin in Book Five. *YEAH!!*

Rita Skeeter will be back in future books. 

Firenze will be back in future books. 

Hermione will lighten up in future books. 

We will learn more about James' family history in future books 

**__**

Sorry, if I repeated myself on any of these. My memory's failing. ;-)

  
**_Names and Name Origins:_**

Alastor - Greek God who sought revenge on people. *Hmmmm, significance sighting*

****

Albus - *I know I did this one, but I wanted to add this info in here. In Latin means white (maybe for white beard). Wisdom. Or.. Governor of Britain at the death of the emperor Pertinax, Decimus Clodius Albinus (Albinus=Albus?) attempted to seize the throne but ended up as Caesar in alliance with another imperial contender, Septimius Severus. After Severus defeated two other rivals (Voldemort and... maybe Slytherin?), the now expendable Albinus was forced into another attempt at usurpation, an attempt that came to an end at the bloody battle of Lyon. 

****

Argus - In Greek mythology, Argus was a monster that had a hundred eyes and was ever-so-watchful. 

****

Arthur - Could represent King Arthur. The legend presents Arthur as a leader in ancient times who defeats the Saxons and other enemies. He thereby unites the people of Britain in peace and harmony. 

****

Figg, Mrs. Arabella - "Fig" means "not literal" and a fig leaf is something that conceals or camoflauges. *Hmm...* 

****

Filch - To "steal." 

****

Fleur Delacour - Means "Flower of the Court" in French. 

****

Fluffy - "Cerebrus" the three-headed dog was the guarder of the underworld in greek mythology. 

****

Gilderoy - A highwayman known for being handsome. 

****

Hermes - The Greek Messenger. 

****

Lockhart - Town in Australia near Wagga Wagga ("Compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf"? LOLOLOL!!). 

****

Lucius - Similar to Lucifer (the devil). 

****

Lupin - Lunar means moon. Lupin means wolf-like. Canis Lupus is the scientific name for wolf. 

****

Malfoy - "Mal foi" means "bad faith" in French. Malfoy has "mal" in it, meaning evil. 

****

Minerva - In Roman Mythology was the Goddess of Wisdom. In Greek Mythology she was the Goddess of War. She gave strict punishments. *Yeah, we know. ;-)*

****

Mirror of Erised - Erised backwards is desire (as in "you'll see what you desire"). 

****

Nagini - 'Naga' is snake in Sanskrit. 

****

Nimbus - "Nimbus" means "cloud." Nimbus was also a god in Greek Mythology. 

****

Norris, Mrs. - A character in one of J.K. Rowling's favorie author's (Jane Austen) books. 

****

Peeves - "Peeve" means "little devil" or something that gets on your nerves (like a pet peeve). 

****

Remus - Brother of Romulous (founder of Rome). They were raised by a female wolf. He was killed by Romulous. 

****

Severus - Sever means "to cut-off". Severe also means cruel, strict. In ancient history, Lucius Septimius Severus restored stability to the Roman empire after the tumultuous reign of the emperor Commodus (See Albus) and the civil wars that erupted in the wake of Commodus' murder *if you watched "Gladiator" then you should know this. Yeah, that sweet little kid. Lol.* 

****

Sirius - Named after Sirius Star, or Dog Star. Seen during summer "dog" days. 

****

Skeeter, Rita - "Skeeter" is short for "mosquito." As most people can attest, mosquitos are among the most annoying life-forms on this planet. 

****

Voldemort, Lord - There was a dark wizard in mid-evil times named Voldermortist. In another language, Voldermortist means "Lord of Evil" or "Dark Lord". Legend has it that Voldermortist once tried to destroy Merlin before the time of King Arthur (Mr. Weasley?), by bewitching good people, and simply bribing those who already were evil. Legend has it that Merlin destroyed Voldermortist by using a simple paralyzing charm (full body bind?), fed him to the many-headed-beast (Fluffy?) of the lake, the Lady of the Lake's pet (Giant Squid?), freed the bewitched people, and destroyed the evil men. That was maybe twelve, thirteen years before Arthur (how long it was from Voldemort's destruction until Harry started Hogwarts). In French means "thief of death" (meaning escaping death). 

**__**

A/N: How 'bout a challenge for ya'll? I knew you'd like one. ;-) House points to whoever can tell me the meaning of the name of Rhiannon's cat, Malificent. I'll give you a hint, it's the predominant language of the HP spells. ;-) 

**__**

The previous entry on the books was about the Order of the Phoenix. These stuff are CONFIRMED facts about the coming books. *rubs hands together* I can't wait!! :-).

__

Harry inherited his invisibility cloak from his father James, and James inherited it from HIS father. It's a bit like a family heirloom. 

Professor Trelawney's first prediction is a very important piece to the plot. 

We are going to be seeing Aragog and the Weasley's wild car again. (YAY!! I must say I'm rather fond of that little Anglia)

There is a connection between where Harry lived with his parents and the founding father of Gryffindor! (Harry lived in Godric's Hollow, and Godric Gryffindor was the establisher of the Gryffindor house! No kidding? You think? *chuckles*) 

We'll be hearing more about Crookshanks. (The way JK worded this in her interview made it seem like there's more to Crookshanks than what we think.) 

"Dudley's privledged existance STARTS to change for the worse in Book IV." (Hehehe! I wonder what other evil things are going to happen to him!) 

In The Connection interview, someone submitted a question to Rowling asking if Snape was ever going to fall in love. J.K. laughed and asked why anyone would ever want to fall in love with him. Then she went on to say that she was very stunned that this question was asked and we would find out why in Book 7. *:o) Hmmmmmm, lovin' for Snape?? Maybe??*

Did Harry ever used magic on Dudley in the real world?   
Not so far (hint). -J.K. Rowling

Rowling has said that by the series' end, "you do feel a sense of resolution. You find out what happens to the survivors, to those characters who live through all seven books. I know that sounds very ominous. You get a sense of what happens to them subsequently." 

Thanks again for reading and reviewing, you guys! The next chapter will be out as soon as I finish editing it and writing thank you's to the reviews for this chapter. ;-) 

Love ya!!

T.H.


	19. Of Weddings and Dancing Partners

****

CHAPTER 19.

OF WEDDINGS AND DANCING PARTNERS

__

"Hell, I can't do this. What the _hell_ was I _thinking_?" Bill muttered as he paced back and forth for what seemed to be the hundredth time that morning. 

Ron and Harry chuckled under their breaths as they watched him pace, rubbing the back of his neck and tugging nervously on his long, red ponytail as he did so. As Bill paced blindly around the area outside the Dining Hall, he accidentally bumped against one of the immens, stone pillars. Ordinarily, the slight jarring would have made no difference to the rock hard pillar. However, Hogwarts had been weakened and even its pillars were not as strong as they once were. 

Ron and Harry watched in horror as the loose stones which composed the pillar shuddered threateningly, then began to hurtle towards the stone floor. Bill swore loudly as Ron and Harry covered their heads.

"_LEVO_!" Bill yelled, whipping out his wand and pointing it at the falling stones.

A flash of gray light shot towards the stones in a burst of speed and hit them with full force. A few inches from Ron and Harry's heads, the stones suddenly slowed, then rotated precariously in mid-air. Ron raised his head and glared first at the rocks, then at Bill who was staring at the rocks in horror.

"Well? You done tryin' to _kill_ us?" Ron quipped.

"Yeah, Bill. If you didn't want us in the wedding party, you could have just said so." Harry added. Ron winked at him, which, Harry was sure, was meant to praise the comment.

Bill glared at Ron, then shook his head.

_"Redeo lapis_!" Bill said shakily, pointing his wand once more at the rotating stones.

The stones held still a moment, shot back up to the pillar and arranged themselves tighter than they had been before. The pillar stood erect, once more intact and solid. 

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Ron demanded of his brother. Harry easily sensed that Ron was obviously getting quite a bit of pleasure out of giving his nervous brother a hard time. 

Bill didn't respond, but simply shook his head and ran his hand across his neck nervously before continuing to pace. Ron gaped a moment, indignant that his jibe had been ignored, then he shrugged and cast Harry an irritated look.

It was only a few days after the horrific battle with Voldemort, but it seemed to Harry that the battle had been weeks and weeks ago. Things had changed and Harry thought he'd never get used to the changes. But now, it seemed that things had always been this way, almost as if the safer days of the past had never existed. They were only wonderful dreams he and his friends had been having for a while. This was the _real _world, the world they had been meant to be living in from the start. He and the others had eluded fear and hate for a such long time in sweet dreaming. But now they were awake and the horrors were even more real than the dreams had been. 

After the battle, the bodies of the hundreds of witches and wizards were sent to their families, and if they had no relatives, they were buried on the grounds of Hogwarts, a tiresome and draining duty. The sick were taken to Madame Pomfrey, one of the few who had survived Voldemort's attack on the Hogwarts staff. She and the few other witches and wizards that she had recruited to help her, had their hands full with the wounded that were piled relentlessly before them. 

Hogwarts was filled with pain and agony as the bodies of the witches and wizards were identified and buried. Parents of the younger witches and wizards, who had lost their lives in the battle, let out cries of raging agony as they were told of their children's deaths. Those throes of misery echoed in Harry's mind long after he'd gone to bed that night, and it was accompanied by the equally heartbroken cries of the children who suddenly found themselves orphaned. 

The handling of the deceased Muggle-born children was a delicate matter, one that Professor Dumbledore wished to handle alone. Originally, he had wished to take care of it all himself, but when Professor McGonagall insisted that he allow her to help, he could not object. The bodies of the Muggle-born witches and wizards who had been killed in the fighting, were cleaned as much as possible and sent back to their parents with an accompanying letter from Dumbledore. Harry knew that the looks of utter sadness and defeat that rested in the lines of Professor McGonagall's face as she helped Dumbledore to write these letters, and the sudden weariness that exuded from Dumbledore's pained eyes would haunt him in the years to come.

Hogwarts castle was in ruins. The walls had fallen and few of the classrooms had survived. 

"The walls and contents are easy to replace. But the people who learned and taught in them, irreplaceable." Harry heard Dumbledore say quietly as he surveyed the scene. 

With the help of the other witches and wizards and their magic, as well as the strength of the giants, Hogwarts was partially restored. Over several dreary afternoons and evenings, any wizard or witch could clearly see the fallen stones of Hogwarts flying swiftly back into their spots and the giants settling pillars and whole roofs back onto the castle remnants, slowly recreating the castle that once had stood in glory and majesty. The castle hadn't been completely finished. It would take a great amount of time to finish the job even with magic. 

Harry realized this. He also realized that the wounds that had been inflicted upon Hogwarts, would not heal so quickly as many thought. This was a violent and destructive blow that had been cast upon them, one that would take some time to recover from. Voldemort had asked for war. He would get one, now that he had spilled the blood of innocents.

However, there was one comfort in Harry's mind. Many of his friends had escaped death at the hands of Voldemort. Seamus, Dean, Cho Chang, even Neville had survived. But so many others had perished. Harry remembered with a sickening feeling, the heroic death that Jessica Fawnweb had submitted to. That little girl. Harry shook his head in disbelief. Yes, wounds had been inflicted upon Hogwarts, and the scars would indeed remain there forever.

But fortunately, there was a slightly happier note to the sadness and horrors of the previous days. Bill Weasley and Rhiannon Flutterae were getting married. They didn't want to wait. 

"Besides, when is this gonna ever happen so perfectly? I mean, my whole family's here! My friends, my teachers, it saves us having to buy invitations!" Bill said good-naturedly, drawing a much needed smile from those around him. 

Mrs. Weasley had been _quite_ shocked with her son's forward attitude, (she herself was a firm believer in planning far ahead of time) and she tried to dissuade him.

"Bill, dear. It _is_ handy, but do you really think it's appropriate? I mean, so many have died only a few days ago and with a wedding so soon afterwards? Why, _some_ people will talk that you didn't mourn long enough!" Mrs. Weasley worried aloud.

However, Bill was not swayed.

"Mum, we've mourned enough. You think that those people who died would want me to spend three or four weeks in mourning? No, I don't think so. This is a forward age, Mum. We can't take weeks to mourn the dead. Voldemort certainly won't give us that luxury."

And so, it was decided that the couple would be married in the Dining Hall of Hogwarts by a wizarding minister who had been a part of the battle and had stayed to help with the restoration of the castle. 

"Don't got much, I'm afraid. But I think tha' I can work something out fer decorations." Hagrid had assured Rhiannon as he, while blushing quite red, showed her some of the white roses from the gardens that had survived the battle.. 

Rhiannon had smiled and thanked him, assuring him that anything, no matter how small, would be appreciated. 

All the members of the Weasley family were to have a place in the wedding, which Harry thought was QUITE a feat. Charlie was appointed Best Man, while Ron, Fred and George were to be groomsmen. Percy was to be a ringbearer of sorts, but he insisted on magicking the lacey pillow on which the rings sat on to levitate, so he would be spared having to carry it himself. 

"I would look like a fool carrying that thing." Percy sniffed, eyeing the laced pillow with disdain.

"What? You can't look the fool for once for your dear brother?" Bill had joked, throwing a muscled arm around his skinnier, younger brother. Percy simply rolled his eyes and almost as if he was touching something foul, he flicked Bill's arm off his shoulder. 

With the other Hogwarts students gone, having been sent home as soon as possible, Rhiannon joked that it was going to be hard to find enough bridesmaids to match all 'those Weasley boys!', but she managed. As bridesmaids, Rhiannon chose Hermione, Ginny, and Artemis.

With the bridesmaids chosen, everyone was curious to know who was to be Rhiannon's Maid of Honor. To everyone's equal surprise, Professor McGonagall was chosen. The Transfiguration teacher was just as shocked as the rest of them.

"ME? Rhiannon, I am _far_ too old to be in _anyone's_ wedding! Honestly, I don't know what you're thinking." McGonagall had protested, a slight blush slowly trickling across her pale cheeks.

"Oh, come now, Minerva. Who knows the next time you'll be invited to take part in a wedding ceremony? And such a lovely wedding ceremony at that." Dumbledore chided the Transfiguration Professor kindly. McGonagall faltered slightly, then cocked her head in false indifference.

"Well," She hesitated. "Just so long as you aren't expecting me to give a speech or anything." She sniffed. 

Rhiannon, emerging suddenly from her dignified teaching ways, let out a small squeal and flung her arms around the professor, who stiffened, then gently placed her arms around her former student as her body relaxed into the embrace. 

Mrs. Weasley had continued to worry the previous day that it was simply not possible for everything to be ready on time. But Rhiannon had a gift of planning, almost as flawless as Mrs. Weasley's. The D.A.D.A. teacher had everything planned, even down to the time that she and Bill would leave Hogwarts after the ceremony. There would be few guests, besides the remaining Professors and a few of the witches and wizards who had stayed behind to help repair Hogwarts. She had even invited the giants to the wedding, but they had declined, explaining that they were departing back to Scotland to stay until Dumbledore needed them again. 

Dumbledore and all the remaining witches and wizards, thanked them heartily, which caused all the giants to mutter under their breaths and extend their thanks quietly in an embarrassed voice, reminding Harry very much of Hagrid. Harry smiled wistfully as Hagrid bid his aunt good-bye, but Harry could tell that Hagrid _knew_ he'd see them again, somehow, some way. Harry himself was sure he all would see them again. If Voldemort was going to make another attack upon Hogwarts or any other part of the wizarding world, the giants would return.

Rhiannon had planned everything out perfectly and she dictated it to the members of the wedding party the night before the wedding. However, as soon as she reached the end of her speech, Ron cried out indignantly,

"Hey! What about Harry?! I mean, he saved you more than once down there in that hell hole! What about him?" 

In order to appease his infuriated brother, Bill immediately added Harry to his entourage, which lead Rhiannon to throw her hands in the air. 

"Now I've got to find another bridesmaid." She muttered good-naturedly. The choice wasn't hard. 

Seeing that it was Harry that was added, she immediately decided that Ginny shouldn't walk down the aisle with Fred as originally planned. She would walk with Harry. Harry's eyes had widened when she'd told him this and his mouth had dropped open uncharacteristically wide, making his teacher laugh almost maliciously.

"Professor! You did that on purpose!" Harry protested, barely able to speak. Rhiannon nodded, a twinkle in her eye. 

"Yes, I suppose so. But I _do_ love Ginny. She's so sweet, very studious. Very good in class." She commented with a wistful smile that suggested that Ginny Weasley being good in class wasn't exactly the reason she'd chosen her to walk with Harry.

"Sorry, Perce. You'll just have to walk up with Fred." Bill told Percy reluctantly, even as a smile fought to surface. 

"Great! So I get to be a flower boy of sorts then?" Fred asked cheerily, not at all put off by the change of partners.

"I suppose, if you want to Freds." Rhiannon said, casting a wary eye at Bill, who clearly thought the switch quite hilarious.

Percy, however, thought nothing of the sort. He simply pursed his lips and took a step away, muttering under his breath as Fred grinned maliciously. 

Harry smiled, but then felt himself pale. It wasn't the fact that walking down the aisle with Ginny Weasley _scared_ him. It was the fact that, well, he just wasn't sure how to act around her. Every other time he'd seen her, she'd simply clammed up or she'd walked quickly in the other direction. There was simply nothing to do but to try to talk to her either before the ceremony or after. 

And so it was set. The wedding was on, everything was planned. Now, it was just a matter of the ceremony starting. The rest of the Weasleys were running about getting ready. The last Harry had heard, Mrs. Weasley was making sure that the decorations in the Dining Hall were set up to her satisfaction. Bill..........was pacing, leaving Ron and Harry, who'd been ready hours ago, to simply sit there and watch him.

"Don't you let him out of your sight!" Mrs. Weasley had warned Ron and Harry. "If he's like any man before a wedding, he'll try to get out of it. He's just nervous, the poor dear. Be patient with him, but if he tries to give you the slip, you do whatever you have to, Ronald Weasley." Mrs. Weasley said grimly. 

Ron grinned at this firm allowance.

"I can do _anything_?" He asked sneakily. 

Mrs. Weasley looked at him suspiciously, but nodded.

"Anything."

"Wicked."

But much to Ron's chagrin, there hadn't been any need for him to stun Bill or even curse him. Bill had simply paced the halls, muttering under his breath. The eldest Weasley boy looked rather strange to Harry. Harry had never seen him in any clothes other than his rather punkish ones, so seeing him in anything else was unusual. Bill had cast off his regular clothes and was attired in the brilliant crimson dress robes that he'd worn to the Yule Ball. 

"It isn't fair! Why can't I see her NOW? I mean, c'mon! I'm gonna see her in a minute ANYWAY! I mean! _Honestly!_ This is just stupid!" Bill muttered as he paced. 

Ron chuckled and leaned over to whisper in Harry's ear, 

"Sounds like us before the Yule Ball doesn't it?" 

Harry looked at him with a smile and nodded. 

"Oy, Bill!" 

Bill started violently as his name was shouted from the opposite end of the hallway. A few seconds later, Fred and George Weasley dashed down the hall, skidding to a stop directly in front of Bill, excitement showing clearly on their identical faces. Bill frowned as he looked over his younger brothers. They too had changed out of their regular Hogwarts robes and were attired in the robes they'd worn to the Yule Ball. Fred was dressed in emerald green, George in midnight blue. 

"What do you guys WANT?" Bill yelled.

Fred and George grinned and shrugged. 

"Nothin'." Fred said, a malicious smile gracing his face. "We just saw Rhia, that's all." 

Bill's face lit up, sensing an answer to his troubles, though why he thought he'd get one from Fred and George, Harry could hardly imagine.

"Really?! What does she look like? Will she see me?" Bill asked eagerly. 

Fred and George glanced at each other maliciously, then eyed Bill with enthusiasm.

"Well, to answer your first question.......we can't tell you that." Fred said, his mischievous grin spreading wider. 

"To answer your second question.......we can't tell you that either." George finished, grinning happily. 

"We didn't talk to her!" Fred laughed loudly. 

Bill's face screwed up in frustration and he glared at his laughing brothers. 

"Bloody hell! What _good_ are you?" He yelled, throwing himself down beside Ron. 

"Oh c'mon, Billy! I mean, you REALLY expect me an' George to tell you what your bride looks like BEFORE the wedding?" Fred chided him. 

"That's bad luck, old boy." George said knowingly. 

"I don't CARE! I'm NERVOUS, alright! I wanna......what was I thinking? Asking her NOW? I mean, I, I shouldn't be doing this! Yeah, yeah! I'm worn out from everything, and ah, yeah, everything! And I can't, and, I just can't!" Bill burst out in frustration, covering his eyes with his fists.

Fred and George waved their fingers at Bill. 

"Now, Bill, you don't wanna get on Mum's _bad_ side, do you?" George asked. 

Bill ceased to pound his head and looked up to stare at the twins. 

"Oh yes, _you_ know what we're talking about. _You_ know what Mum will do if she finds out that you're backing out on Rhia." Fred said with a malicious smile. 

Bill simply stared at them, saying nothing. 

"It'll be worse than a thousand Howlers, so I suggest you stay in this, otherwise," As he said this, George ran his finger in a jagged line across his throat. 

Bill sighed and placed his head in his hands once more. 

"I'm doomed." He muttered. 

"Oh, don't act like that, Old Man." Fred said cheerily.

"Soon you'll be with your one true love!" George said with a smile. "Alone, beneath the stars, kissing, smooching, and everyone knows that _that_ leads to," 

"George Weasley!" Both Fred and George whirled around guiltily to face a flushed faced Molly Weasley, who stood in the doorway observing them both with a wary eye. "You stop right now! I don't even WANT to know what ELSE you were going to say." She warned. 

George threw his hands out in front of him. 

"What? What did I say? It's just a fact of life that boys and girls," 

Molly Weasley choked aloud, her face becoming a vibrant red as she cut him off. 

"Nevertheless, _stop_. It's not appropriate, _especially_ in front of Ron and Harry." She said crisply. 

George put his hands obediently behind his back and glanced at Bill, who was now staring at his mother with what could definitely be called total and utter helplessness.

"Mum, I don't think I can do this." Bill muttered, resting his head in his hands once more.

In an instant, Mrs. Weasley was standing at Bill's side, her hand gently grasping his shoulder. 

"But, Bill dear, of _course_ you can." She said simply. 

"What makes you so sure?" Bill asked wryly. 

"The fact that you've liked her ever since your first year at Hogwarts. Is that convincing enough?" Mrs. Weasley commented coolly. 

Bill turned red and stuttered violently. 

"How did you, well, why, how," He stuttered. 

Mrs. Weasley crossed her arms over her chest in a knowing gesture. 

"Honestly, Bill dear. You are _so_ easy to read. You were so obnoxious to that poor girl when she was a child and I could see plainly through it that you were wild about her." 

Bill groaned loudly. 

"How do you know this stuff?" He moaned. 

"Easy. I'm a mother." Mrs. Weasley replied tersely. 

"Right. I forgot." Bill scoffed. 

Mrs. Weasley's gaze softened as she spoke quietly to Bill. 

"Listen, dear. My father told me that _your_ father was exactly like this before _our_ wedding." 

Bill looked up at her sharply. 

"_Dad_? Is Grandad off his rocker? Dad always told us that he had no qualms whatsoever before you got married!" Bill protested. 

A strange, pinched look came over Mrs. Weasley's face and suddenly Bill became very red and began to mutter under his breath. 

"Be that as it _may_, he did INDEED pitch a pretty fit." Mrs. Weasley said crisply. "He said that he didn't know what he was thinking, what he was doing, even made up some excuse that he wasn't in his right mind and that his evil twin had fallen in love with me or some crazy thing." Mrs. Weasley said simply. 

Fred, George, Ron, Harry and Bill stared at her in amazement. 

"Whoa." Fred said simply. 

"Was Dad off his rocker?" George asked eagerly. 

"Do girls make a fellow go crazy _every_ time they get married?" Came Ron's frantic voice. 

Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes and scoffed. 

"Oh, _shut up_! He was only making excuses. My father made him see reason. Made him see that if he didn't love me, he wouldn't have asked me to marry him, and he wouldn't be there right at that moment. Then he made him think about what _I_ was doing and thinking, wondering if _I_ was doing the right thing. And Grandad told him, that I _knew_ I was doing the right thing, because I loved someone so much that I'd die for him, and I'd be true to him forever: a man named Arthur Weasley." Mrs. Weasley said quietly.

"Oh, _Mum_!" Fred cried out, throwing his arms around her in mock feeling. 

"That's so _beautiful_!" George sniffled. 

Mrs. Weasley turned red and shoved the twins for their sarcasm. 

"Oh quiet! It was true!" She protested. 

"So, you're saying, that that's probably what Rhia's thinking right now?" Bill broke in quietly. 

Mrs. Weasley looked down at him, her eyes soft and gentle. 

"That's what I'm saying, Bill dear." She replied. 

With that, Bill let out a great sigh and stood. 

"Well then, I suppose I should pull myself together. After all, who knows what would happen if I _don't_ get married? I might miss out on having a family as big and as great as this one." He said cheerily. 

The remaining Weasley boys stared incredulously and open-mouthed at their elder brother.

"Oh, bloody hell! You aren't telling me that you want a family as big as OURS?" Ron called out indignantly. 

Bill turned to him with a cocky grin. 

"Who knows? Maybe I'll want one _bigger_." 

A look of horror came over Ron's face as he stared at his brother. Fred and George simply shook their heads. 

"He's lost it." George muttered. 

"Crazy as a loon." Fred concurred. 

Mrs. Weasley gave a satisfied smile as beautiful organ music leaked through the heavy wooden doors of the Dining Hall. Bill paled as Mrs. Weasley quickly began adjusting the flowers pinned to her faded green robes. Then she leaned over and kissed Bill on the cheek, fingering his ponytail as she pulled away. 

"Oh, Bill, you could let me trim it really quick, just before the ceremony! It wouldn't take too long and you could surprise Rhiannon!" Mrs. Weasley said enticingly. 

"_No_, Mum." Bill said firmly. 

Mrs. Weasley sighed, then began to fix her hair as Arthur Weasley walked in the room. 

"Ready, Molly?" He asked cheerily. 

Mrs. Weasley wiped a tear from her eye as she looked from her son to her husband. 

"I think so." She sniffed. 

Arthur put his hand out and Bill took it.

"I'm proud of you, son. Proud of the choices you've made. Proud of the woman you've chosen to be your wife. And for the record, I don't care about your hair." He whispered. 

Mrs. Weasley, however, heard the comment and sniffed indignantly. Bill smiled and nodded. 

"Thanks, Dad." He said quietly. 

Mr. Weasley smiled, blinked the mistiness from his eyes and put a hand on Bill's shoulder before he pulled away, and opened the doors to the Dining Hall. He put out his arm for Mrs. Weasley, who smiled winningly at him as she took it. Then they walked down the aisle, the parents of the groom. 

"BILL!" Ron suddenly yelled. "You're supposed to be at the front of the Dining Hall!" He hissed. 

Bill paled and stared wildly at his parents walking down the makeshift aisle of the Dining Hall. 

"Oh, yeah! Where do I go? Where do I go?" He muttered, sqeezing his eyes tight shut as he spoke.

"Down the hall, to the left, into the door that leads to the front of the Dining Hall." Percy said simply as he walked into the hall, Charlie on his heels. 

Bill threw his hands in the air and grinned broadly. 

"Thanks, Perce! I owe ya one!" He called before running around the corner, skidding on the stone floor. 

"Break a leg, lover boy!" Ron hissed as his brother dove out of sight.

Harry smiled and shook his head as Bill dashed down the hall. Mrs. Weasley certainly was a mother through and through. She knew exactly what to say to calm Bill down, despite the interference on the part of her twin sons. Harry couldn't help but think about the day when perhaps, _he'd_ get married. His Mum wouldn't be there. She'd be there in spirit, but not in the flesh. But surprisingly enough, he didn't mind so much. He knew that his Mum trusted Mrs. Weasley to take her place in such matters. No matter what, his Mum would be with him, but Mrs. Weasley would be the physical force keeping him grounded and on the straight and narrow path of life, despite the hardships that would come with it. 

As the organ music continued to play, Harry stood in unison with Ron and both began straightening their robes nervously. They too wore their dress robes from the Yule Ball and looked very much the same as they had on that event, but there was one difference. Harry thought he and Ron looked more tired, more careworn than they had that night. That happy night seemed so long ago and changes had arisen with the passing time. Harry's charred hands were wrapped carefully in bandages and there was a tired look reflecting in Ron's blue eyes that hadn't resided there the night of the Yule Ball. Harry smiled fondly at his friend, who returned it with his familiar lopsided grin. They had been through hell and back and Harry knew he was grateful to have Ron for a friend. Anyone who had the guts to remain his friend after all that they'd been through was worthy of the title.

There was a shuffle of feet and suddenly, Hermione, Ginny, Artemis and Professor McGonagall stepped into the room, looking flushed and excited. Harry and the other Weasleys eyed their teacher in surprise, never before knowing their teacher to flush at ANY time. Apparently, neither did Minerva McGonagall. She patted the bun at the nape of her neck, got a better grip on her flowers and glared at the boys. 

"Straighten up, Weasleys! And you too, Potter! Roll your shoulders back! Honestly, you look like circus performers." She snapped. 

Immediately, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron and Harry straightened their backs, eager to escape McGonagall's wrath for one day. As they did so, Percy sniffed, thinking no doubt about _his_ poker straight back. 

The girls watched the boys with mirthful eyes, the latter of whom flushed in embarrassment at their lack of etiquette. 

"Oh, goodness, I don't think this iris is quite the right shade." Professor McGonagall muttered as she eyed her bouquet, composed of irises, forget-me-nots, and lilies of the valley. 

She pulled her wand out of her emerald green dress robes and flicked it at the offending iris, which immediately darkened a shade. She compared the color with the shade of the other irises in the bunch of flowers and nodded in affirmation before slipping her wand in her robes.

Like the rest of the wedding party, the girls were dressed in their dress robes from the Yule Ball: shades of midnight blue, pale green and crimson. Harry was sure that if there had been more of a notice, Rhiannon would have had dress robes made for the bridesmaids, but in his opinion, he thought they all looked lovely despite the different colors. 

"At least the bouquets match." Professor McGonagall murmured as she glanced at her flowers.

Harry smiled at his Professor's worrying. She had taken it upon herself to help Rhiannon as much as possible since she wanted to be wed so quickly. Harry knew as well as Rhiannon that Professor McGonagall was not one for things being done speedily _and_ sloppily. Professor McGonagall had seen to it that there were at least suitable flowers for the wedding, as well as appropriate dress robes for Rhiannon.

"I will not have you walking down the aisle for your wedding in _black_, Rhiannon. Good gracious." McGonagall had said sharply when Rhiannon had mentioned the offending idea of using her black teaching robes for the wedding. 

Somehow, the Professor had seen to it that Rhiannon had _white_ dress robes. The flowers had been picked by Hagrid from the gardens. That job had been overseen, of course, by Professor McGonagall. Irises, forget-me-nots, and lilies of the valley were the choices. 

"I want simple things. Simple, but elegant." Rhiannon had said, and Professor McGonagall had done her best to fit the bill exactly.

"You'd think it was _her_ wedding." Ron whispered from beside Harry. Harry grinned and nervously straightened his crumpled robes. 

Hermione, Ginny and Artemis chattered excitedly as they stepped into a single line. Their hair was done up, with flowers gracing the folds. Hermione had woven in sprigs of lilies-of-the-valley through her brown tendrils, while Ginny had been content to settle a small white iris bud in her braid. Artemis had strung lilies-of-the-valley through her long, swinging braid, and had tied a single forget-me-not at the bottom of it. It was quite obvious to _all_ the boys that they were excited. 

"Alright gentlemen! Line up with your partners! Now, no walking shabbily down the aisle! This is going to be perfect! I don't want a shoddy performance." McGonagall ordered, pointing a crooked finger towards the girls. 

As the Weasley boys made their way to their partners, a grinning Fred jumping forward to take his place by a gloomy Percy, Ron whispered, 

"Heavens, we wouldn't want to trip right in the middle of the "Wedding March", now _would_ we?" 

Harry suppressed a smile as he watched Professor McGonagall line up Artemis and George together at the front of the line. George looked down at Artemis with a soft expression, then slowly leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Harry grinned as Artemis blushed deeply and smacked the Weasley twin on the arm.

"Weasley! Potter! Come over here and get in line." 

Ron quickly positioned himself beside Hermione as McGonagall called for him. Hermione smiled as Ron tripped over his dress robes and flung his arms out to keep from falling on his face. Ron simply leapt to his feet from his place on the stone floor, ignoring the chuckling and taunting of his brothers, and cast a winning smile in Hermione's direction. Hermione looked surprised that Ron hadn't responded to his brothers' ridicule with some offense. She eyed him curiously, then blushed deeply as Ron stuck out his arm for her to grasp. 

Hermione stared at him for a long time. Harry had seen that look many times. It was the look she got when she was studying a History of Magic text-book as she tried to understand the theme of the whole lesson and was trying to figure out what it had changed and who. But this was one thing Hermione couldn't decifer, so she simply settled to gently clasp Ron's arm and wait for their cue.

"Potter! Over here beside Miss Weasley." McGonagall called shrilly.

Harry slowly took a step towards the girl dressed in crimson. As he did so, Ron and Hermione turned around to glance at him. For some reason, the way they looked at him just............he didn't understand why, that is, but he felt himself blush as he quickly walked forward to stand beside Ginny. Ginny didn't look at him as he stepped up to her. Harry noticed that her face was pale and she was biting her lip rather vigorously. 

It was well known to Harry, as well as Ron and Hermione, that Ginny Weasley had a bit of a crush upon him since she'd met him on Platform 9 3/4. It was this that made Harry nervous. He'd never had a real girlfriend before, and he didn't know how to act around girls that liked him. For that matter, he didn't know how to act when _he_ liked girls. He'd certainly made himself look like a real git when it had come to Cho Chang the previous year. 

Girls and romance were two aspects of Harry's life that he had not quite mastered. Inwardly, he wished his father were still alive. He _always_ did, but especially in times like this. His Dad could tell him how to act around girls and what to say without offending them. But he did have someone to turn to: Sirius. If anyone knew what advice his Dad would have given, it would be Sirius. But Sirius was in the next room and Harry had to say something right then, otherwise, he'd look like a fool. So he took a deep breath and turned to face Ginny.

"Hullo, Ginny." He said quickly, inwardly chiding himself to speak slower.

But Ginny was not turned off by his rapid tongue. Instead, she slowly turned to face him, then blushed as crimson as her robes. 

"Hullo, Harry." She almost whispered.

Harry racked his brain for what to say next.

"You, you look quite lovely, Ginny. You wore those robes to the Yule Ball, didn't you?" Harry asked.

Ginny suddenly paled and one of her hands grasped a fold of the offending robes.

"Why? Is that bad? Should I have worn something else?" Ginny asked almost frantically.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise at the girl's sudden outburst of worry. He didn't know _what_ to say. He didn't mean to offend her. He just couldn't for the life of him find anything to say!

"No, no! You look lovely! I just couldn't remember if you'd, if you'd worn it to the ball or not. That's all. Didn't mean to offend." Harry said helplessly.

Color slowly leaked back into Ginny's cheeks and she smiled.

"Oh. Well then, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Ginny looked away a moment, but when she turned back, she finally looked fully into Harry's face. She lifted her chin bravely and smiled.

"You look quite handsome, Harry."

Immediately after she said it, she turned a bright red and fingered her robes nervously. Harry simply grinned. 

"Thanks, Ginny."

Ginny smiled and looked relieved that her boldness had not been taken offensively. Harry smiled at his own cleverness. Whoever said that talking to girls was _hard_?

As Harry straightened his robes for the hundredth time, a slight rustling caused him to turn around. Behind him, dressed in immaculate, white dress-robes, stood Rhiannon. Her curly brown hair was drawn into a lover's knot with lilies of the valley slipped between the curls. Her eyes were alight and shining as she winked at Harry, then moved to look up at her escort. Harry knew that Rhiannon's father should have stood in that place beside her, but he knew that the replacement would perform the job just as well. Albus Dumbledore smiled down at the young bride on his arm, his eyes twinkling as he looked at her. Rhiannon herself, didn't look like she minded her escort taking over paternal duties. 

"Come now, Potter! It's almost your turn." Professor McGonagall whispered to Harry as Ron and Hermione made their way down the aisle. Harry turned to look at McGonagall as she patted her hair self-consciously and she took Charlie Weasley's arm. Charlie winked at Harry as they both felt the Professor's nervousness exuding from her person. 

"Excuse me, Professor." Professor McGonagall looked up at Harry as he spoke timidly to her. "I didn't get the chance to tell you that you look really fabulous." 

Harry could not help but smile at the soft look of pleasure and astonishment that came over his teacher's face as she eyed him in surprise. 

"Why thank you, Harry! It's so _very_ kind of you." She said simply, her eyes shining. 

"You're welcome." Harry whispered.

He breathed deeply as Ron and Hermione approached the makeshift altar at the front of the Dining Hall. George and Artemis had gone before them and now stood at the altar grinning down at them. 

"Potter! It's your turn!"

Harry gasped in surprise as he felt Professor McGonagall's finger prod his shoulder impatiently. Slowly, he turned to face Ginny and to his surprise, she was already eyeing him. Hesitantly, he extended his arm to her.

"Well, shall we?" He asked quietly.

To his surprise, Ginny Weasley did _not_ clam up, nor did she walk away or ignore him. She simply smiled and gently slipped her arm in his.

"I think we should." She whispered so low that Harry could barely hear her. 

"Potter, Weasley! A move on, if you please!" McGonagall hissed.

Harry didn't flush in embarrassment. He simply knew that the Professor was nervous. So was he, but for some reason, it didn't seem to matter anymore. He simply began to walk down the aisle. 

The stars in the magicked night sky above them twinkled mysteriously in the soft candlelight of the Dining Hall, now transformed into a church of sorts. As Harry walked down the aisle, he scanned the crowd witches and wizards who had stayed for the ceremony.

There was Sirius standing uncomfortably beside Remus, his medium length black hair pulled away from his face, his long fingers pausing occasionally to pull at the black dress robes that had been loaned to him. He was safe here. The remaining witches and wizards knew of Sirius's innocence. How they knew, Harry could only guess. Mrs. Weasley would say nothing, only that Professor Dumbledore had chosen them to be on the alert and ready to assemble the moment that the _Sugilatio Flammae_ showed Voldemort's attack. Harry could only guess that these select people had been told by Dumbledore and they were people whom the Headmaster trusted with his life. That was the only way Sirius would be kept safe. 

As Sirius continued to pull at his robes, Remus sighed at his friend's inability to remain still, but still smiled winningly at Harry as he proceeded down the aisle. Sirius stopped moving for a moment to do the same, but he managed to cast a sly wink in Harry's direction as he noticed Ginny. Harry blushed, but blushed even harder as Ginny looked up at him with a smile that said, 'I saw that'. Harry decided he'd have to have a little talk with Sirius about girls. They saw _far_ too many things they weren't supposed to. Who _knew_ what she was thinking _now_?

The only Slytherins present that Harry knew by sight were seated next to each other in the row in front of Sirius and Remus. Draco Malfoy stood directly in front of Sirius, his chin raised proudly, disdain reflecting in his cold gray eyes as he eyed George and Artemis. Severus Snape stood next to the Slytherin boy, his face stoic as he eyed those standing before him critically, as if trying to find some fault with them. 

Harry tried to hide his frustration as he separated from Ginny and took his place beside Ron on the altar. He couldn't understand why the two Slytherins couldn't co-operate even for a wedding. After all, it was _Rhiannon's_ wedding, one's professor, the other's former student.

As the organ music increased, (Harry noticed that it was indeed coming from an organ, though there was no organist and it played on its own), the witches and wizards in the chairs stood and turned towards the aisle, awaiting the bride. Rhiannon began her walk down the aisle with Dumbledore, who held her arm gently. Harry could not help but smile at the look of pure joy on Rhiannon's face, nor could any of the others. Fred, who had made it up the aisle without causing too much damage to anyone else or Percy's ego (he had thrown sweets from 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' into the crowds rather than flower petals) and George could not stop grinning, nor could Charlie or Ron. Even Percy managed a smile as well, as soon as he'd gotten far from Fred's side. From the other side of the altar, Harry heard Ginny sigh happily. 

Ron poked Harry in the shoulder, and nodded towards Bill, who stood in front of the waiting wedding party. Bill's face was alight as he watched Rhiannon and Dumbledore make their way down the aisle. All nervousness seemed to have faded, replaced with a soothing serenity.

When Rhiannon and Dumbledore stopped in front of the altar, the Headmaster stooped and kissed Rhiannon on the cheek, then embraced her gently. He then raised his wrinkled hand towards Bill, who stepped down from the stairs and placed his hand in the Headmaster's. The Headmaster then took Rhiannon and Bill's palms and placed them together. Rhiannon smiled happily and whispered a 'thank you' to Dumbledore as he stepped away from them, then allowed Bill to lead her up the stairs towards the minister above them.

Harry had never before seen a Wizard wedding. He had never seen a Muggle wedding for that matter either. His aunt and uncle never took him places, _especially_ not to family occasions. It was this lack of experience that made him all the more happier to be present at _this_ wedding. He was glad that this was his first experience with a wedding, that the people who were being married were more than, 'Cousin Jane and Cousin Bob'. He _knew_ these people, he had lived alongside them, he loved them. To them, he _was_ family, and to him, they _were_ family, and they had been kind enough to include him in this most intimate ceremony. No wonder he couldn't help but smile.

He remembered several things about the wedding, things he kept in his heart to ponder over. He kept thinking, 

_Was this what Mum and Dad did? Was this how THEY were married?._

He watched as once more, Rhiannon's hand was placed in Bill's and the minister pulled out a tightly coiled rope, that once pulled out, sprang to life, uncoiling itself and wrapping around the hands of the couple kneeling before it. Their hands were tied together, not only for that moment, but for all time. It was then, while they were bound by this magic, that the Minister placed the gold bands in the bride and groom's free hands. Gently, the two slid the rings on each other's bound fingers. Only when Bill and Rhiannon had pronounced their vows in full, did the rope unbind them, the rings securely resting on their fingers. 

"Now, you have proclaimed a solemn promise, and though the rope has been removed from your hands, you are still bound together, the two of you. You shall be one and shall live your lives as one." The minister proclaimed.

Harry smiled gently as he heard Mrs. Weasley let forth a great sob. Bill smiled and he and Rhiannon stood and faced each other. 

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife." The minister called over the assembly. 

Then Bill leaned in and kissed Rhiannon gently on the lips. A cry broke out among the populace and before long, the whole crowd was cheering loudly. It was unlike anything Harry had ever seen, all those people, so happy that two of their number had taken this immense step. Even Sirius cheered loudly, his pale eyes alight. A strange look rested on Professor Snape's face as he watched the two kiss and eyed the joy that spread around the room. Harry couldn't identify it. Could it have been regret? Or even happiness? Harry was not sure, for he was distracted by Ron jumping dangerously close to the edge of the stairs. He quickly grabbed at his friend's dress robes and pulled him back, though Ron was laughing hysterically and because of this, almost fell despite Harry's attempts.

The instant the Minister had pronounced Rhiannon and Bill married, Fred and George had begun to set off Filibuster fireworks. A moment later, they were tossing them out into the crowd. The numerous witches and wizards, despite the fact that several of them were elderly, grabbed at them eagerly and in a flash of wand-lights, the room was filled with popping fireworks. The magicked-night sky above them, was soon peppered with beautiful flashes of light that rained down upon the crowds in showers. Even Percy, rule-abiding Percy, grabbed a few of the fireworks and set them off with a yell. 

As the celebration continued, the chairs in the hall began to disappear with little pops and puffs of smoke, occasionally catching an unfortunate person unaware when their chair disappeared out from under them, setting them on the floor with a hard smack. When all of the chairs had disappeared, the witches and wizards smiled and finished laughing with deep breaths.

"Haven't had so much fun in ages!" One of the elderly wizards gasped, setting off one more firework with a gleeful outburst.

Then as suddenly as the chairs had disappeared, the tables of the Dining Hall returned, decorated and covered with elegant glass plates, goblets, eating utensils, and menus. One table sat at the head of the Dining Hall, draped in white, green garlands hanging from the edges. 

"C'mon, Harry! I'm starving!" Ron yelled excitedly as he dashed up the stairs towards the head table. 

Rhiannon eyed Ron with a smile as he catapolted himself into his chair and grasped eagerly at the menu. Hermione sat down beside Ron, but eyed him with disdain as he eyed the menu hungrily.

"Bloody hell, this looks good." Ron murmured happily.

"Honestly, Ron. One would think you hadn't eaten in _years_." Hermione scolded.

Ron eyed Hermione cheerfully, unwilling to let go of his happy mood despite Hermione's chidings.

"_Honestly_, Hermione. Have a look at the menu. Go on! You'll see why I'm so excited, and _hungry_." Ron said energetically. Hermione eyed him suspiciously, but sighed and looked at her menu.

Harry too looked down at his menu, which seemed to glow in the candlelight that filled the Dining Hall. Harry's mouth watered at the many delicacies that rested within, but finally he chose chicken and a baked potato. He said his order aloud and instantly it appeared in front of him piping hot, a cold sliver of butter resting on the edge of his plate, various dressings set before him on the table. His goblet was filled with a whipped concoction that he discovered to be a sort of raspberry syllabub. Beside him, Ron dug into the food he had ordered: a slab of ham, and crisp, buttered green beans resting in a small bowl beside his plate. As soon as Harry finished his food, his dishes disappeared and a small dish containing a chilled, red sort of Jell-O. On the first bite, he discovered it was a delicious raspberry flummery. It was a meal never to be forgotten in Harry's mind. 

"Hey, Hermione!" Ron said, eyeing Hermione as she devoured her food hungrily. "That's slave labor food you're eating there."

Harry groaned, expecting a tirade or at least a scolding to come instantly from Hermione's mouth. But to his and Ron's surprise, she shrugged and smiled.

"And it's very _good_ slave labor food, isn't it?" 

"Hermione," Ron breathed. "You haven't decided to just forget the whole 'free the house-elves' thing, have you?" He asked hopefully.

Instantly, Hermione's chin raised and her eyes exuded a look of firm defiance.

"Absolutely _not_! I still hold with my view on the house-elves, but I think it's alright just for tonight. After all," Hermione cast a tender look upon the bride and groom who were laughing together over their own private joke. "They don't have anyone else to make the food for them."

As soon as the meal was ended, the witches and wizards stood up and away from their chairs and tables. Ron nudged Harry as he gulped down the last bit of raspberry flummery.

"Get a move on, mate. Don't wanna get hit by a flying chair now do you?" Ron whispered as he shoved back from the table.

Both Harry and Hermione eyed Ron curiously, but they got out of their chairs and moved away from the table. As soon as they did, all the chairs and tables in the Dining Hall rose in the air and flew by their occupants to the edge of the walls. The lights were suddenly dimmed, and the Hall was lit only by the dim glow of tall white candles that levitative high above the floor, resting in the velvet black sky, mingling with the glowing stars. The guests began to clap as Bill and Rhiannon stood and made their way down to the cleared floor. It was only then that Harry saw Mr. Weasley nervously standing beside Rhiannon's enchanted cd player. When he'd finally set it up, he stepped back to gaze at it, a look of pride resting on his face.

"Oh geez." Harry turned to Ron as he heard his friend's groan. Ron was holding his stomach, a pleased smile stretched across his red face. "Don't think I'll be able to eat another bite _ever_. But I will. I've _gotta_ have cake." He murmured happily, closing his eyes wistfully as if he could already taste the cake. 

As Harry had assumed, the music for the reception was to be Muggle music. As Bill and Rhiannon stepped on improvised dance floor, Mr. Weasley tapped the cd player with his wand. As the strains of music began to play, Harry thought he recognized the song, but couldn't be sure. He rarely heard music in his aunt and uncle's house. Only on certain occasions did they play music, and only late at night when he was securely locked in his closet or when he and Dudley were sent to bed. Harry didn't know for sure, but it certainly did sound like the delicate strains of music he'd heard leaking under his door in the late night. The tune was soft, the sound of a guitar and various stringed instruments whispering in the background, the male singer's voice, light and gentle. 

Bill grasped Rhiannon's hand and whispered something in her ear that made her blush and smack him good-naturedly. A moment later, she rested her head gently on his chest and they danced together in one fluid motion, perfect and unbroken. 

__

Longer than,

There've been fishes in the ocean.

Higher than,

Any bird ever flew.

Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens.

I've been in love with you.

Stronger than,

Any mountain cathedral.

Truer than,

Any tree ever grew.

Deeper than any forest primeval.

I am in love with you.

I'll bring,

Fire in the winters.

You'll send,

Showers in the springs.

We'll fly,

Through the falls and summers,

With love on our wings.

Through the years,

As the fire starts to mellow,

Burning lines in the book of our lives,

Though the binding cracks,

And the pages start to yellow,

I'll be in love with you.

I'll be in love with you.

Longer than,

There've been fishes in the ocean.

Higher than,

Any bird ever flew.

Longer than,

There've been stars up in the heavens,

I've been in love with you.

I am in love with you. 

Harry heard Ron scoff beside him, but when he glanced at his friend, he was surprised to see an unusual softness residing in Ron's freckled face as he gazed at his brother and new sister-in-law. Fred and George too were passive, an unusual sight to see in them. Ginny stood beside Charlie, who's arm dangled around her shoulder as she rested her head on his chest. The room was completely silent until the strains of the music faded. Then there was wild clapping as the bride and groom turned to face their guests. Rhiannon was grinning from ear to ear and Bill was the same, his face almost as red as the long hair draped down his back. 

"Isn't it just gorgeous? I want a wedding just like this." Hermione said, slipping in to stand beside Ron. Ron scoffed as he turned to her. 

"You wanna have a wedding in a dilapidated castle?" He asked. Hermione sniffed. 

"You're crazy, Ron Weasley. I suppose I won't hang around with you. I think I'll go and," 

But Ron didn't give her the chance to finish. He jumped to her and grabbed her hand almost desperately. 

"Sorry, Hermione. Dance with me?" 

Hermione started at his boldness, then smiled. 

"Goodness, Ron. You'd think that you were more concerned about dancing with me than your apology." She chided. Ron shrugged and gently took her arm in his, a pleased glow emanating from his face. 

"Yeah, well. What can I say?" He murmured mirthfully. 

"You mean you WERE more concerned about dancing?" Hermione yelled. 

Ron exclaimed loudly in protest as he and Hermione began to argue as they proceeded down to the dance floor. Harry smiled and shook his head as he watched them. This was how they were. They would fight, but they were still very much friends, maybe more. 

Harry grinned as Fred and George whooped at the choice of music: a fast techno tune, the bass line reverberating the unsteady walls of the castle. They jumped to their feet from their places on the floor and nearly bowled over Percy on their way to the dance floor. As he made his way out, Charlie grabbed at Percy, urging him to come with them, but Percy shook his head and sniffed disdainfully. 

"Not right now. I've got more important things to do." 

Charlie cast a look of scorn in his brother's direction as he walked away. 

"Like what?" He spat out. "Got more cauldron bottoms to fix?" 

Percy ignored him completely, slipping past Harry and into the crowd of witches and wizards. Charlie glared at Percy's departing figure a moment, then shook his head. A moment later, his enthusiastic grin had spread over his face and he made his way towards Professor McGonagall, who was sitting by herself, watching the witches and wizards twirling across the dance floor. 

"C'mon and dance with me, Professor!" He called out cheerily, tugging on her arm.

Harry grinned as McGonagall eyed the Weasley boy in wide-eyed surprise, then as she frowned and attempted to shake him off.

"Good HEAVENS, Mister Weasley! What do you take me for? A shoddy bar-room dancer? I'm _hardly_ at the age to be dancing." She protested. 

"Oh, c'mon Professor! Dumbledore is always saying what a great dancer you are! Can you blame me for wanting to take you for a whirl?" He asked, grinning at her winningly. To Harry's surprise, the professor looked to be weakening, though she still protested. 

"But, I haven't danced in _such_ a long time." She said hesitantly. 

"Oh, who cares! Me either! I've been mucking about in dragon dung, as my brothers say, and I don't have time for dancing. Humor an old student. You _know_, I always was your favorite." Charlie wheedled, winking at her. 

Suddenly, Professor McGonagall let out a cheery laugh and stood, grasping his young, leathered hand in her wrinkled one. 

"Well that IS true. You always_ were_ the steady one, Weasley." She said, patting his hand in a motherly fashion.

"Of course!" Charlie agreed with a grin.

"Hey, Potter!" Harry turned around as someone called his name. Artemis stood beside him, grinning from ear to ear. She tucked a strand of blonde hair that had come loose from her braid behind her ear and crossed her arms across her chest. "Wanna take an old friend for a whirl?" 

"Sure, Artemis. Let's go." He said kindly, taking her arm and whirling her onto the dance floor, causing her to break out in a flurry of laughter.

Harry grinned at Artemis as he grasped her hands and danced in time to the drum beat. This seemed so _easy_. Why then had it been so hard to do with Cho Chang? With Artemis, everything just flowed, like every motion, no matter how awkward was just part of the dance, part of the course. He wished _life_ could be like that, however, Artemis did seem to bring that quality into his life. It was talent she had, one he could only hope to discover the secrets of. 

"Isn't this great? So romantic." Artemis commented as they danced. 

"I agree, it's great. Romantic, how?" Harry asked with a smile, knowing that Artemis would be all too willing to answer his so male-like question. He was right.

"Oh, come on, Harry!" She said instantly, glancing at Rhiannon and Bill. "I mean, they've been in love all this time! They fought a battle together, almost lost each other, and now they're getting married in the place where they first fell in love!" Artemis said excitedly. Harry grinned and shrugged. 

"If you say so." 

Artemis frowned in frustration, then eyed Harry closely. Finally, she saw the mirth dwelling in Harry's green eyes, and she slapped him on the shoulder good-naturedly. 

"You're just playing with me." She protested. Harry laughed loudly. 

"I know, but it's just so easy to do!" He answered her. In the midst of another song, Artemis closed her eyes and grinned as she grasped Harry's hand. 

"Twirl me, Harry." She pleaded good-naturedly. Harry grinned and took a firm hold of her hand. 

"Alright then. You ready?" He asked. 

"Ready!" Artemis called, squeezing her eyes shut in anticipation. Harry grinned and began to twirl her as the drum beat of the song ran around them. 

"Here we go!" He yelled.

__

Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?  
I see the way you're,   
Acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated.  
Life's like this, you.  
And you fall and you crawl,  
And you break and you take,  
What you get and you turn it into,  
Honesty, promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it.

__

No, no, no.  


With a flourish, Artemis grinned and fell into Harry's arms with a dramatic gesture. Harry laughed loudly and caught her, dipping her almost to the floor. She finally opened her eyes as he held her there, and she grinned broadly. 

"I hope your arms don't give out. Because if you dump me on the floor, Harry Potter, I'll kill you." She said, her voice mirthful. Harry grinned, then laughed nervously as a dull pain ran up his arms as he tried in vain to lift her. "Harry," Artemis asked nervously, her smile frozen on her face. 

"Can't, get you, up!" Harry laughed breathlessly. 

Artemis' eyes widened as she stared at him frantically. 

"Don't you drop me! Harry, don't," 

The warning came to late. They collapsed on the floor in a tangled heap. Harry and Artemis laughed loudly from their place on the floor till Harry finally made a move to stand. When he struggled to his feet, he tripped on his dress robes and found himself right back where he had been in the first place. Artemis shook her head, her explosive laughter filling the hall. A tall shadow fell over them just as Harry found his legs and extended his hand to Artemis. 

"Geez, Harry. I'm a lousy dancer, but I don't dump girls on the floor. I better keep Artie away from you, otherwise she might not come out of a tango with you _alive_." George said in mock seriousness, extending a hand to Artemis.

Artemis laughed and grabbed his hand and he pulled her up. Immediately as the song ended and a clash of guitars broke out, George's feet started to shuffle almost as if they had a life of their own. 

"C'mon Artie!" He called, dragging her out onto the dance floor. Artemis turned towards Harry with a jubilant grin and called, 

"You don't mind, Harry?" She called. Harry laughed and shook his head in the negative. 

She nodded and gave him a thumbs up, jerking her head towards Ginny Weasley, who was standing by herself near the punch table. Harry laughed and waved a hand towards her. Then he breathed deeply again, trying to get a grip on himself and figure out something to ask Ginny. Perhaps he could just ask her to dance straight out? What if he beat around the bush a bit before asking? He couldn't make up his mind, so he decided to play it as it went. 

Ginny was fervently watching Bill and Rhiannon dance, but she quickly looked up at Harry and blushed as he approached. Harry smiled uneasily at her, fingering his robes nervously. She shifted uncomfortably and turned a deep shade of red as she looked up into his face. 

"Hullo, Harry! Having fun?" Ginny asked nervously. 

"Oh yeah, Ginny! It's great! Ijustwantedtoknowifyou'dwanttodancewithme." Harry said quickly, his words running together crazily.

The nervous look faded from Ginny's eyes and she stared incredulously at Harry. Inwardly, Harry writhed at his mistake.

"What was that, Harry?" Ginny asked cautiously.

"Well, I," Harry was just about to tell Ginny that he had to do something urgent, something else, _anything_ else but ask her to dance, but something stopped him. It was the unmistakeable look of mirth that rested in Ginny's eyes as she watched him. Harry breathed deeply, the spoke slowly. "I just wanted to know if you'd want to dance with me."

No matter how hard she tried, Ginny could not hide the pleasure that danced in her eyes as she stared at Harry in astonishment. 

"Really?! I mean, yeah, I mean, well, SURE! I mean, thanks, Harry. I'd love to dance with you." She stuttered happily as she took his offered hand. Harry grinned and winked at her. 

"No problem, Ginny."

Immediately as he stepped out onto the dance floor, the artist of the song being announced to the crowd as Smash Mouth, the song, "Walking on the Sun", Ron shouted out at Harry, 

"Hey, Harry! Whaddya think you're playing at? Making a move on my baby sister, are you?" 

Harry turned towards him, ready to fire back some sarcastic comment, before he was cut off by Ginny, much to his surprise. 

"You hush up, Ron Weasley! Harry can ask me to dance if he wants! I haven't got the _plague_ you know!" She yelled loudly. Harry stared at her in surprise, but Ron seemed pleased by her reaction as he laughed loudly but said no more. Ginny tossed her red head and blushed as she saw Harry's surprised look. "I _can_ speak up you know, if I want to. I don't very often, but........_brothers_." She exhaled in an aggravated tone. Harry laughed and nodded. 

"I think I understand, Ginny." He said with a smile. She returned it and it was then that Harry noticed how really pretty Ginny Weasley looked, especially with that smile. It was curious he'd never noticed it before. 

********************

The song ended with a flourish of yells from the people on the dance floor as they cheered for more. The cd player instantly obliged, placing another song over the speakers. Draco Malfoy stood off to the side of the dance floor, thinking how ironic the song playing sounded to the thoughts whirring about in his mind.

__

Jesse is a friend.

Yeah, I know he's been a good friend of mine.

But lately something's changed,

It ain't hard to define.

Jesse's got himself a girl,

And I wanna make her mine.

And she's watching him with those eyes.

And she's loving him with that body,

I just know it.

And he's holding her in his arms late, late at night.

You know I wish that I had Jesse's girl.

I wish that I had Jesse's girl.

Where can I find a woman like that?

Obviously, there were great differences between himself and the song, but all the same, it made sense. That George Weasley, was NOT by any means of the imagination his _friend_, yet he _had_ taken the girl he was fond of. And Draco knew for a FACT that Artemis was not, well, 'loving him with that body'. The very idea made him sick to his stomach. But he knew she'd kissed Weasley. He'd seen that for himself. It was quite unfair by his standards. In his mind, Artemis _should_ have been in Slytherin. She was obviously capable of holding up to Slytherin standards, and with a name like that. _Draco Malfoy and Artemis Thornshadow._ The names just, _clicked_. To HIM anyway. 

__

George Weasley and Artemis Thornshadow. Oh please, just knife me and throw me in a trash can. 

Draco inwardly gagged. If she wanted to have a last name that sounded like some kind of creeping rodent, fine. Let her. 

__

Artemis Malfoy. Now THAT sounds good. He thought with satisfaction. 

__

And I'm lookin' in the mirror all the time,

Wondrin' what she don't see in me.

I've been funny,

I've been cool with the lines.  
Ain't that the way love's supposed to be?

That part of the song made sense. What was there in him that Artemis didn't think she could handle? He was interesting, suave, definitely had the moves. He'd been casual, been kind, well, as much as he _could_ be, kind to HIS standards anyway. And that one line, 'I've been funny/I've been cool with the lines./Ain't that the way love's supposed to be?', that _definitely_ sounded familiar. After all, that was how it had always been with his father and mother. 

His father regarded his mother with cool familiarity, but hardly with love. There didn't seem to be any love there save clever remarks every now and then. Draco had done _all_ those things, but it hadn't worked. Artemis was still not truly his, nor did it seem she would ever be. She had dragged him this far, taking him away from the life his father wanted him to lead. She made him think that maybe, just maybe, he could be an individual. He could be someone _better_ than what he had once been. She had dragged him to the point of no return.

"My, my you're just looking _far_ too serious over here." 

Draco jumped slightly at the sound of the female voice behind him, but composed himself and turned to Artemis, a cocky grin resting on his face. 

"Yeah? I've heard it's becoming." He said coolly. Artemis crossed her arms and shook her head. 

"Not when you're thinking so hard that you look like you ate a sour lemon. What's up?" She asked, a small smile on her lips. 

Draco took a deep breath and almost choked as he realized how dry his throat was. Funny, it wasn't like that a few minutes ago. 

__

Why do girls DO that? He muttered inwardly. 

"Say, Artemis, I want to speak with you. Would you care to dance?" Draco asked quickly, extending his hand to her. 

Artemis smiled and took his hand, and as she did, an electric shock ran up his own arm as he led her onto the dance floor. 

"What's on your mind, Draco?" She asked kindly, her eyes smiling. 

As Draco swallowed the lump that had _somehow_ pulled itself together in his throat, he cursed himself for freaking out. 

__

It's just ARTEMIS. For heavens **sake**, Malfoy! Get a hold of yourself. His mind grumbled. 

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about what's going to happen now. At least, what YOU think is going to happen now." He said calmly. Artemis shrugged and shook her head. 

"I really don't know. I mean, I'm going to have to go back to my parents of course. But you know, Dumbledore still says that school will be in session next year on schedule, so, I suppose I'll come back. What about you?" She asked. 

Inwardly, Draco cringed. 

"Well, I'm not going home this year." He said proudly, trying frantically to surpress the feeling of fear that inevitably crept down his spine. 

A look of surprise flashed over Artemis' fair face as she eyed him. 

"Well, why? Where are you going?" She asked in concern. 

Draco shrugged calmly and smiled. 

"I'm going to stay with that moron, Sir-, well, a friend of Dumbledore's." Draco ceased speaking as he thought about Sirius Black. 

Dumbledore had warned him not to tell the few students who had remained behind with their parents of Sirius Black's presence. Their parents were of course aware of the fact, but he didn't want the children to be alarmed. Few people knew that the dark haired man _was_ the feared Sirius Black. Draco knew that all the Weasleys, even the youngest girl knew of Sirius's innocence, but they were the only ones besides Harry and his gang of friends. Artemis was _far_ from a child, but for some reason, Draco felt that he shouldn't frighten her. After all, Sirius Black wasn't just feared in _Britain_. 

"I don't feel like going home this year. That's all. I WAS going to stay with relatives, but I don't feel like being with THEM." Draco said calmly, but inwardly, he was frantically trying to come up with an excuse for going to stay with Dumbledore's mysterious friend.

__

Of all the bloody people Dumbledore could PICK. _Sirius **Black**._ His mind muttered. 

The look of concern left Artemis' face, but it still reflected in her gray-blue eyes as she put a gentle hand on Draco's shoulder.

"Oh, I see. You don't want to home because of what happened here. I completely understand." She hesitated a moment, then said, "It was brave of you to do what you did down in the chamber, Draco." Artemis said, a twinge of shyness creeping into her tone. Draco shrugged and nodded. 

"What did you expect me to do? Let you die?" He whispered, suddenly unable to find his voice as he remembered the Master's Mirror, as he remembered how he had once carried it and how it had come _so_ close to killing this girl standing before him. 

Artemis simply shrugged.

"Well, that is what one would normally expect from a Slytherin when a Gryffindor's life is at stake." She said knowingly. 

"I know. I _know_ that. But I _had_ to. I, I think that......why do you _do_ this to me? _Why_?" Draco's quiet voice suddenly raised in tone as it filled with anger and frustration. "Everything in my life was fine before you came along! Just _fine_! I had a nice little war going with Potter and his stupid friends, I had a career coming to me, I was going to have a _reward_ for carrying the mirror into Hogwarts. But NO! The mirror had to kill Martin Wothes! I had to _watch_ it kill Martin Wothes, a fellow in my own House, DIE because he was too stubborn! Too loyal to Hogwarts! And therefore, Dumbledore _had_ to make sure everybody came EARLY and other students from _different _schools HAD to come to Hogwarts!" Draco said angrily. "And then, YOU came, and I thought, perhaps, you'd be in Slytherin. You had a good name, you were, I don't know, _lovely_, I suppose. But NO! You get put into Gryffindor, right where I couldn't get at you. And then that _Weasley_ got to you first! Artemis, everything I _knew_ fell apart when you came here! I let go of everything I'd known, just because, maybe, you could learn to like me even a little. But what was I thinking? I gave up _everything_!" Draco whispered, his voice finally lowering, but the frustration hardly receding. 

Artemis smiled wistfully as she stared at the boy in front of her. She had taken the news well. A tad _too_ well, Draco thought. It seemed as though she knew already. She could feel the turmoil inside of him. That knowledge that she possibly possessed, almost frightened Draco. Had he been any other boy, it would have.

"You gave up evil, you mean." She said quietly. Draco slowly raised his head and stared at her. "You mean to tell me that you'd rather live a life of death and evil, than be dragged away from it?" She asked patiently. 

"Better that than being on my father's BAD side!" Draco said angrily. 

Artemis sighed and shook her head. 

"I don't know what to say, Draco." She said quietly. 

"I don't either." Draco muttered. 

"What do you _want_ me to say?" She asked. 

Draco's blonde head shot up instantly. 

"That you love me and not Weasley." He said firmly. Artemis gave a small chuckle and grasped his hand. 

"I can't say that, Draco." White-hot pain reflected in Draco's gray eyes as he stared at her, but she refused to let him drop his head. "I can't say that because I don't _love_ either of you." Slowly, hope returned to Draco's gray eyes. "I like you both, but I don't _love _you. I'm too _young_ to love someone. I, I don't even know what love _is_. If you can just accept that for now, until a time, when I'm_ ready_ to choose, I would love to remain your friend." She said quietly, a hopeful smile on her face.

Draco dropped his head thoughtfully. When he raised it, there was an almost greedy gleam in his large eyes. 

"Does Weasley know about this?" He asked. Artemis nodded and her eyes twinkled. "_And_?" Draco urged. 

"He said that he'd be willing to wait. After all, he's going to have his hands busy as soon as this year is over. He's going to start his joke shop." Artemis said proudly. 

Draco sighed and rolled his eyes. 

"_Quite_ the career he's chosen." He said sarcastically. 

"I know. I think it's great." Artemis said, grinning at the idea. 

"If you say so." Draco muttered. Then he sighed resolutely. "Alright then. I'll wait for you, Artemis. But let me tell you something. I don't mean to be kept waiting for long, and I don't mean to let any red-headed, Muggle-loving, pathetic excuse of a wizard get the better of me. Just remember that." Draco said seriously. 

Artemis's smile faded slightly as he demeaned George, but she shook her head and grasped Draco's hand gently. 

"Alright, Draco. But I want to thank you." 

Draco frowned and cocked his head to the side. 

"What for?" He asked. 

"For saving my life so many times." She said. Draco scoffed, seething self-anger coursing through his veins once more.

"I tried to get you _killed_. I took you down there to _help_ me." Draco muttered.

Artemis nodded knowingly. 

"True. But I still believe that you are the only reason that I'm alive right now. I mean, honestly, if that's the way you're going to think, I could blame Harry for not realizing the truth until too late!" Artemis said. A twinkle entered Draco's eyes and he grinned maliciously. 

"You could do _that_." He said. 

Artemis sighed and rolled her eyes upward. 

"You'll never learn will you?" She asked. Draco shook his head, grasping her hand tighter. 

"Never." 

And as Draco danced with Artemis, the new song that came over the speakers came through more clearly and made more sense in that moment, than any song could.

__

I'm falling even more in love with you.

Letting go of all I've held onto.

I'm standing here until you make me move,

I'm hanging by a moment here with you. 

I'm living for the only thing I know,

I'm running and not quite sure where to go.

I don't know what I'm diving into,

I'm hanging by a moment here with you.

********************

Harry watched Draco and Artemis conversing on the dance floor with more than a little concern. She didn't like the fact that Artemis couldn't keep away from Draco and refused to tell him to leave her alone. He worried for her. Why, he had no idea. 

He now stood off to the side of the dance floor with Fred, George and Ron, Ginny having been asked to dance by her brother Charlie. Fred and George were talking excitedly about a new joke shop product that they'd thought up on the dance floor and Ron was sipping punch, glaring at a Ravenclaw seventh year who'd asked to dance with Hermione. Ron quit staring at the two when he dropped his napkin on the castle floor. However when he raised his head, his eyes focused on another sight. He squinted a moment as he stared off in the distance. Just as he did so, Fred gave a low whistle. 

"My goodness, Rhia's already chasing after other men!" 

Ron growled and leapt to his feet, punching his brother hard in the arm. 

"Shut up, you pillock! For some reason, she takes to him. And besides, if we really looked at things, we owe our lives to him." Ron said about the man Rhiannon was speaking to with a resentful grumble. 

"_And_ to Rhia!" George threw in frantically. 

"I know, but _he_ did most of the work." Ron reasoned. 

A look of horror came over the twins' faces as they stared first at each other, then at Ron and Harry. 

"WE DON'T WANT TO OWE OUR LIVES TO _SNAPE_!!" They moaned together. 

"Well, get over it, because you two most of all owe your lives to him. He saved your lives in particular all on his own." At that, Fred and George crossed their arms across their chests and glared at no one in particular. "That'll teach you for implying that MY sister-in-law is flirting with the smarmiest Potions Master in the world." Ron said with a smirk.

Harry smiled, then turned back to the sight that had first incited the argument: Rhiannon had walked over to Snape (who had kept himself far from the dance floor and its occupants) and was now talking to him quietly. His face was stony and he eyed her with a look of almost suspicion. But finally, Rhiannon achieved her goal, and Severus Snape placed his white hand in hers, (Harry only now noticed the hideous burn that covered the top of his hand, an aftereffect of the battle), and she lead him out onto the dance floor. From there, Harry noticed with surprise, that Snape knew exactly what to do. He, perhaps almost gently, placed his hand on her hip and took her other hand in his, still gazing down at her with cool indifference. Harry shook his head and turned back to Fred and George, who were now arguing with Ron that Snape was surely trying to woo Rhiannon. 

__

Odd things happen every day. Harry thought with a smile as he watched Rhiannon dance with her old Potions Master.

********************

Rhiannon relaxed into Snape's grasp with ease, then looked up into his dark eyes, amusement weaving in and out of her small smile. 

"You see, Severus, I _knew_ you remembered how to dance." She said in mock solemnity. 

"It has been a great many years since I last danced, Rhiannon. I do not see why you've dragged me out here." He insisted sourly. 

Rhiannon, not put off by his cool tone, merely chuckled. 

"Indeed! I'm sure it has, but you still dance divinely. Most likely better than Bill. You know the arts of dancing aren't emphasized as much now as they were in your time." She said quietly, trying to suppress the twinkle in her eyes. 

At the compliment, Snape's eyes were filled with a faint glow that he tried to suppress and he drew himself up slightly. 

"Of course. I'm sure the boy never took any time to actually _learn_ to dance, not like we did in times past." Snape said scornfully, glaring at Bill, who was speaking energetically with a tall wizard in tattered blue robes. The wizard, who looked to be only a little younger than Snape, responded vigorously to Bill's questions, only pausing to brush a strand long, black hair from his dark eyes. "Orion _Phoenix_." Snape hissed. "Why did you invite _him_, Rhiannon?" Snape asked scornfully as he stared at the tall wizard.

"Because he was a great help to us in the battle, Severus. Besides that, Dumbledore wished for him to stay so he could speak with him. Just because he wasn't up to your standards when you were in school, is no reason to scorn him now." Rhiannon chided him.

"The man is a agitator, Rhiannon. He's far too over-zealous about this coming war for _my_ taste." Snape shot back.

Rhiannon smiled and shook her head.

"Still can't let go of old hatred, can you?" She asked quietly. 

Snape finally looked away from the wizard Orion Phoenix and glanced down at Rhiannon.

"It is the only thing I have left." Snape said shortly, but quietly. "I have no family, nothing to call my own. My hatred is all that keeps me willing to survive another day, the only thing that makes me willing to prove my adversaries that I am their better. It is all I have left, Rhiannon. Understand that."

"Whether or not you believe me, I think that you have more than hatred within you, otherwise you wouldn't have done what you did for us. A man with so much hate would never concoct that potion or even work on it for so long, even when his chosen helper attempted to leave him." Rhiannon murmured bashfully.

Snape nodded shortly.

"You were afraid. I have told you time and time again that if you do not attempt to control your fear, it will control you. I see you haven't remembered _everything_ from my lessons." Snape hissed.

If this hurt Rhiannon's feelings she did not show it. Instead, she stared at the floor for a time, before she looked back up at the Potions Master.

"I'd like to thank you, Severus." She said quietly. 

Snape looked slightly taken aback. Rhiannon smiled at this, knowing that he expected an outburst as a reply, never thanks.

"For what?" He snapped, irritated that his barb had gone unnoticed. 

"For my life." 

For a moment, Severus Snape's gaze faltered as he gazed at his former pupil standing before him. He then seemed to realize what he'd done. He'd stepped out of character, out of bounds of clearly laid boundaries. But then again, he was _supposed_ to be on the good side. _Wasn't_ he? 

__

I could have easily turned her over to Voldemort. EASILY. It would have been so simple, then I could have returned to his favor. But I wouldn't have done that. Not for the world. He thought firmly. 

"You're welcome, I suppose. Though I don't see what I had to do with it." He said coolly, attempting to hide his feelings from his former pupil. 

Rhiannon simply smiled and shook her head. 

"You know you did, Severus. I can see right through you, even if everyone else can't. Thank you, for everything." She whispered, her eyes misting slightly. 

Snape eyed her, then looked away. To Rhiannon, it looked as though he was breathing deeply, trying to rein in his emotions, but when he turned back, any bit of emotion, save for one small speck, had disappeared. 

"You're welcome." 

That tiny bit of remaining emotion called gratitude, twinkled brightly in his brown depths, a sight not usually seen in his sneering face. 

" 'Scuse me, Snape. But could I be the honored enough to have a dance, my lady?" 

Snape was startled out of his sudden lapse of character and he turned and glared at the man beside him, who eyed him with flinty stare that Snape _didn't_ appreciate. 

"I didn't know you even _knew_ how to dance, Black. If I remember correctly, you and your little posse simply jumped about with no rhyme or rhythm." Snape snapped in annoyance, addressing Sirius Black, who now closely stood at his elbow. Sirius's pale eyes twinkled, but he shrugged and grinned, eyeing Rhiannon mirthfully. 

"Ye,s well, I admit in school I didn't have the _best_ idea as to how to dance. But at least I have one thing going for me _now_." Sirius said, taking Rhiannon's hands in his own. 

Snape stepped aside and glowered at him. 

"And what's _that_?" He scoffed. 

Sirius grinned as he whirled Rhiannon away from the Potions Master. 

"_I_ invented the Macarena." He said saucily. 

Snape merely stood stone still and glared at Sirius, while the latter twirled Rhiannon as she laughed long and loud at the jibe. 

********************

Harry laughed to himself as he watched Rhiannon and Sirius dance merrily amidst the younger couples. He had never seen Sirius so happy. Perhaps it was the atmosphere, the fact that it was a wedding? Could _that_ be it? The last time Harry had seen his godfather look like this was in the picture of him at his parents' wedding. Sirius had looked just as excited, his eyes just as bright then as they were now. He couldn't help but grin as Sirius dipped Rhiannon low to the floor, laughing as Rhiannon frantically grasped at his broad shoulders, trying desperately to pull herself upright. It was good to see him light-hearted for a change. 

As Harry scanned the couples surrounding his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and his godfather, he caught sight of Ron and Hermione. Ron was slowly leading Hermione out onto the dance floor. Gently, he placed his hand upon her hip, his face and ears a vibrant red. But he was smiling. So was she for that matter. Yes, even Hermione was smiling, her face slightly red as well. The sight caused Harry to pull up in confusion. His two friends were staring at each other as if they could see the future in each other's eyes. They weren't supposed to look at each other like that. They liked each other, but not like that. _Right?_

As Harry stood there alone, he finally accepted what was happening to him, to his friends. Ron and Hermione, though not meaning to, were leaving him behind. Ron and Hermione were drifting away from the carefree days that they had always shared. He hated it. He wanted to go too. He wanted to be with them always. He knew he would be, but he would never be able to break into that special place that they had sealed themselves into. He knew that now whenever he asked Hermione something, she would look to _Ron_ for affirmation. When he asked Ron for his opinion, he would look to _Hermione_ to help him out, to back him up. Someday he guessed, perhaps in the near future, he would be back here in this hall. Only it would be _Ron_ standing nervously in the wings. It would be _Hermione_ walking jubilantly down the aisle, her delicate fingers clutching her flowers nervously. Then all worry would fade from her eyes as she took Ron's hand and they walked away together. And Harry would be there through it all, beside them. He couldn't hold them responsible for this _feeling_ that they had no control over. He couldn't blame it on them. Yes, through it all, he would be there, come what may.

********************

"Draco, how come I've got to tell you everything that you want to hear about _me_, but you don't have to say anything about _you_?" 

Draco started as Artemis suddenly challenged him. He smiled as he looked down at her. She was glaring at him. She looked quite handsome when she was angry, her gray-blue eyes sparking with frustration, her lip curled in cool defiance. 

Draco smiled, but shook his head nonchalantly.

"My life is not that interesting." Artemis snorted loudly. "Now, _that_ was unladylike." Draco chided her.

Artemis waved her hand impatiently. 

"Whatever. Come on! I have to tell you stuff about me, now you share. I'm not going _kill_ you or anything." She admonished him. 

Draco simply grinned and shook his head. 

"That's the point, Artemis. If I told you, _I'd_ have to kill _you_." He said simply. 

Artemis frowned, then pursed her lips and turned on her heel, walking rapidly towards Rhiannon's cd player, dragging Draco along with her. 

"What are you doing, you stubborn girl?" Draco asked, sighing deeply. 

"I'm going get my message across to you, you stubborn boy." Artemis retorted, walking up to the cd player.

She flipped through a book of songs and lyrics that Rhiannon had compiled for a time, then stabbed her finger on a certain song lyric.

"That's the one." She murmured. 

Then she raised her wand and pointed it at the cd player.

"_Ludus **'Trying'**._" She whispered. 

Silver sparks burst from the end of her wand and enveloped the cd player. The contraption let loose a violent shudder, then began to play a slow guitar tune. Artemis turned to Draco and grinned. 

"Now, Mister Malfoy. Let's go onto the dance floor and then you can listen to what I'm TRYING to tell you." 

Draco merely rolled his eyes as they walked back onto the dance floor. 

"A lot of good it'll do. Heaven knows you didn't get the idea when _I_ tried to play a song for you." He said with a sigh. Artemis rolled her eyes. 

"Believe me, I DID. I quite understood the little game you and George were playing." 

Draco shook his head and crossed his arms across his chest as he scowled. 

"It was _hardly_ a game, Artemis. It was _war_. We had to show our best. I have to admit that if it hadn't been for Rhiannon, I wouldn't have known which songs to pick. They _are_ all Muggle songs after all." Draco said coolly. 

Artemis merely stared at him, before shaking her head. 

"I give up. I just give up." She muttered as the song began. 

__

Could you let down you hair,

And be transparent for a while?

Just a little while to see,

If you're human after all.

Honesty is a hard attribute to find,

When we all want to seem like,

We got it all figured out.

Let me be the first to say that I don't have a clue

I don't have all the answers.

Ain't gonna to pretend like I do.

Just trying to find my way.

Trying to find my way, 

The best that I know how.

__

I haven't memorized,

All the cute things to say.

But I'm working on it.

Maybe I'll master this,

Art form someday. 

If I quote all the lines,

Off the top of my head,

Will you believe that,

I fully understand,

All these things I've read.

__

Just trying to find my way.

Trying to find my way, 

The best that I know how.

Well I haven't got it all, 

Figured out quite yet,

But even if it takes my whole life,

To get to where I need to be.

If I should fall to the bottom of the end,

I'll be one step back to you.

__

Just trying to find my way.

Trying to find my way, 

The best that I know how.

A twinge of guilt ran through Draco as he listened to the song, looking to Artemis at intervals, who eyed him eagerly. Well, perhaps he _had_ abandoned her in regards to his life. It was true that she told him things about her, then waited impatiently for him to take his turn. He never did. He _had_ assumed that she knew everything there was to know and that she would be satisfied with what she knew. She knew what she had seen by spending time with him, as well as the things that her fellow Gryffindors whispered about him under their breaths. 

The thing that Draco realized about himself was that he wished he knew everything, and though he didn't, he gave the pretense that he did so he'd be even farther above those below him in status. Apparently, Artemis didn't feel that way. She _liked_ to be honest, which, oddly enough, was one of many reasons why he was attracted to her. She was honest in ways he never could be. It was unfair, he realized now. But he wasn't exactly ready to take off the many layers of his mind either. Someday maybe. Someday he'd be completely honest. He'd tell her everything. 

All his dark little secrets, all the things that had happened to him in his short life, what it was like to live in his father's shadow, what it was like to live a life of darkness. There were so many layers, so many levels to Draco Malfoy. It would take some time to sift through them all. Till then, she'd have to wait. 

Slowly, Draco looked up at Artemis, a sad glint hiding behind the cold gray of his eyes though he grinned and said, 

"Honesty is overrated." When her face fell, he quickly spoke again. "Look, I understand. Don't get me wrong. Just give me some time. Please." He asked quietly. She smiled gently, then nodded, extending her hand toward him. 

"Alright then. Deal?" 

Draco grinned, took her extended hand and shook it. 

"Deal."

********************

Harry released Ginny's hands as the slow song ended. He had been bold enough to ask her to dance with him again, and to his surprise, she'd said yes without even the least bit of hesitation. The asking had gotten easier, and Harry wondered why on _earth_ he'd been nervous in the first place.

The music changed to a bright techno tune and the pairs on the dance floor let go of each other's hands and began to dance on their own, but still with their partner, in that distant but close way that modern dancing had become. 

__

We're in Heaven.

Oh thinkin' about our younger years.

There was only you and me,

We were young and wild and free.

No, nothing can take you away from me.

We've been down that road before,

But thats over now.

You keep me coming back for more.

Baby you're all that I want,

When you're lying here in my arms.  
I'm finding it hard to believe,

We're in heaven. 

As the song proceeded, there was a cry of outrage from Sirius, who was dancing alongside Rhiannon and Bill. 

"This is a remake of a perfectly good Muggle song!" He yelled indignantly. 

Rhiannon simply laughed at him. Sirius looked sulky for a moment, then he grinned evilly and crept to the edge of the dance floor. Harry quickly saw what his godfather's eye was fixed on. Remus Lupin was talking quietly on the edge of the dance floor with several older Hogwarts students. Sirius slowly snuck up behind Remus, with the softness of foot developed through practice, though perhaps it had been out of use for a time. But he had forgotten nothing of the ways of sneaking behind a best friend. A moment later, Remus jumped violently as Sirius' hands clamped down on his shoulders and he steered the former D.A.D.A. teacher out onto the dance floor. 

"Sirius! Are you mad?!" Remus yelled, trying to pull himself from his friend's clutches. 

Sirius laughed loudly, but continued to push him. Then giving Remus a final shove onto the dance floor, he said, 

"C'mon, old man! Have some fun! You're looking far too sober for a wedding!" 

Then he rushed off laughing, leaving Remus to beg the pardon of the witch Sirius had shoved him into. Harry laughed loudly at that, then turned to see Hermione and Ron doing the exact same thing, save for the fact that Hermione was trying to hide her mirth by clamping her hand over her mouth. Ron on the other hand was laughing hysterically, his hand over his eyes. 

Harry shook his head as he gazed out over the hall. Nearly everyone in Hogwarts was out on the dance floor. Even Molly and Arthur Weasley had entered the dance floor. But the two were stubbornly dancing together, Mrs. Weasley refusing to dance, as she put it, 'like a bunch of fools jumping up and down'. She was a firm believer in the old ways of dancing. The old ways of dancing included waltzing, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stumbled about to the music, trying desperately to dance to the beat of the music, but unable to hear it through the loud drum rhythms.

Sirius had returned to Bill and Rhiannon after he sadly observed that Remus was _not_ going to come after him. Much to Harry's surprise, Lupin was dancing, awkwardly, but he was doing so all the same. Harry believed that the only reason he was doing so was because the woman Sirius had shoved him into,was _obviously_ part of the old crowd, a former student from when Remus had gone to school. He could tell by the excited way that the two spoke to each other as they danced. 

Harry merely grinned and looked down at Ginny who laughed loudly at the sight of Remus dancing with the witch. 

"Your godfather is _fabulous_, Harry!" 

Harry grinned at that and nodded. 

"I know. He's great!" 

Then Ginny blushed a bright red, but raised her chin stubbornly as she looked at Harry almost intensely. 

"You're great too, Harry." She said shyly. 

Harry was startled only for a moment, but then he looked down kindly at Ginny and smiled. 

"I think _you're_ great, Ginny, but I'm not so sure if _I_ am." He said quietly. 

Ginny brilliant smile faded as she searched his face in confusion.

What makes you think something like that?" She asked.

"I don't know. I'm just not. Sirius is great, you know, he survived Azkaban. Dumbledore is _great_. But I, what have I done that's great? Truly great, and don't say I am because I defeated You-Know-Who, because it doesn't count! I don't even _remember_ it." Harry muttered spitefully.

Ginny looked thoughtful a moment before she answered.

"But you've defeated him every year since you returned to school. When he tried to take the Sorcerer's Stone, when he tried to kill you last year, in, in the Chamber of Secrets." 

Harry glanced down at Ginny in concern as her voice suddenly dropped. She was staring at the floor a slight trembling overtaking her body. However a moment later, she was smiling again.

"You've defeated him then, and I _know_ you remember those times, Harry."

"I did it because I _had_ to, Ginny."

"No, you didn't. You never _had_ to. You had a choice, and you chose the harder path. Isn't the fact that you _chose_ to fight You-Know-Who a truly _great_ thing?" Ginny asked quietly.

Harry stared at Ginny in surprise and admiration. He had never thought of things that way. He had always just fought because it was the right thing to do. He had never thought that there _was_ a choice. Any other person could have just walked away and allowed Voldemort to do as he wished, but he, Harry, refused to do that. It had simply amazed him that Ginny Weasley, who had never truly spoken to him _ever_, possessed such wisdom despite her young years.

"Thanks, Ginny. And I mean that." Harry said sincerely.

Ginny blushed deeply and shrugged her small shoulders.

"Any time."

********************

Draco Malfoy couldn't remember the last time he'd been so happy. Granted, his happiness was invoked by listening to _Muggle_ music, at a wedding of one of those _Weasleys_, but he was also with Artemis. The world was right when he was with her, and nothing could change that. At least, that was what he thought.

As Draco danced beside Artemis, he was suddenly violently shoved from behind. After a series of undignified slips and slides across the dance floor trying to avoid the other dancers, he found himself in a completely different part of the dance floor. He frowned and whirled around, searching the crowd for his attacker. Artemis was staring at him in surprise, blinking rapidly as if she was trying to decifer what had just happened. _Draco_ knew what happened. He narrowed his eyes and picked himself up off the dance floor and stalked towards Artemis and his attacker who stood close by her, grinning madly. 

"You got a problem, _Weasley_?" Draco growled as he stopped in front of Artemis. 

George Weasley shook his head energetically. 

"Nope! Just wanted to have some dance time with Artie." He said cheerily. 

Draco winced as George misused Artemis's name and scowled.

"Don't _call_ her that." He hissed threateningly. George ignored him completely. "Alright then, dance time's over." Draco muttered as he bent over and shoved George as hard as he could across the dance floor. 

He watched happily as George fell backwards on his side, then hurtled towards a punch table that was inadvertently in the way. The punch table was only saved from being knocked over by the fact that a few observant witches noticed George's hurtling descent towards the table. They quickly placed shielding charms on the table so that George bounced off it unharmed and the table remained intact. Draco grinned maliciously as the witches helped a staggering George to his feet. Then he turned to Artemis and cast a cocky grin in her direction.

"I think my day just got better." 

Another shove from behind and Draco was on the floor with George standing triumphantly over him. Draco leapt to his feet with the agility of a cat and a moment later had his wand out and pointed at George's face. Much to the Slytherin's surprise, George's wand was also out and pointed just as close, but his face was void of sober looks. Instead, he looked as though he thought it was a game, just a funny little game. 

Artemis quickly thrust her hands between the two as they moved towards each other. 

"You should have chosen between us, Artie! Now it's a jolly war!" George said cheerfully, almost as if he _liked_ the idea. 

"No, it DOESN'T have to be a war!" Artemis protested. 

"What are you talking about? We've got to _prove_ ourselves." Draco scoffed in a demeaning tone. 

"No, you DON'T." Artemis groaned. 

"Oh yes, we _do_. Good point, Draco!" George said, a twinkle in his eye. 

"Glad you concede to THAT, Weasley. Now, shall we have at it?" Draco asked, his eyes shining as well, but with grim determination. 

Artemis' hands came once more between them and they glanced at her in annoyance. 

"Artie, we're trying to have a _war_ here." George said impatiently, waving his wand in the air. 

"You will both just have to dance here and get over it. I'm not going have this pushing and shoving you two have going on. I won't choose between _either_ of you." Artemis said stubbornly. The boys glared at each other, but stayed put, both taking places on either side of Artemis as they danced. However, their wands were not sheathed, but kept out and pointed ruthlessly at each other throughout the entire song. "Why _me_?" Artemis muttered helplessly. 

__

********************

__

We're in heaven.

Loving's all that I need,

And I found it there in your heart.  
It isn't too hard to see,

We're in heaven.

We're in heaven. 

"You know what?" Rhiannon Flutterae, now Weasley, asked Bill as they danced closely together. 

Bill smiled and looked down at his wife. 

"What?" He whispered. 

Rhiannon stood on the tips of her toes so her mouth could reach his ear, and as she smiled, she whispered, 

"I think I'm in heaven." 

Bill barely gave her time to move before he kissed her boldly. They didn't even break off when Sirius let loose a loud, embarassing whoop, attracting the attention of the other wizards and wizards around him. Rhiannon blushed and attempted to pull away, but Bill only pulled her closer. 

"Let 'em look." He whispered. 

Rhiannon chuckled then allowed herself to be pulled back into the kiss. 

"Hey, hey, hey kids." Charlie Weasley admonished them as he approached, putting a hand on both their shoulders. Rhiannon looked up at him with an impish grin, while Bill merely glared. Charlie chuckled at the sight of his brother's sober face, then spoke again. "There'll be plenty of time for that _later_. You don't wanna be poisoning these kids' minds do you?" Charlie asked. 

Bill grimaced, then winked at Rhiannon. 

"Yeah, I suppose. I don't know what I'd do if I caught, oh, I don't know, _Ron_ doing that in the hallway or something." He scoffed.

Rhiannon's face lit up a moment as the sight of George, Artemis and Draco came to her eyes. She grinned broadly as she saw George and Draco's outstretched wands and the glares that pierced each other repeatedly.

"Hey, Bill! C'mon! Come with me." She said, tugging the eldest Weasley on the arm. 

Bill grinned broadly, his eyes sparkling. 

"I'll go anywhere with you, sweetie. Are we leaving?" He asked, an irrepressible grin on his face.

Rhiannon gave him an odd look and shook her head. 

"_Hardly_." She countered. 

Bill frowned, allowing himself to be towed along by Rhiannon. 

"It's not fair. Let's just cut off the party _now_. Or better yet, let's just leave and let everyone else party." Bill proposed. 

Rhiannon chuckled and grasped his arm to her. 

"Like Charlie said, there'll be plenty of time for that _later_. _Now_, I've come up with a _fabulous_ idea." She said, stopping in front of her cd player. 

Bill stuck his hands in the pockets of his robes and frowned. 

"I want _later_ to be _now_." 

Rhiannon merely chuckled as she grasped the book of songs and ran her fingers down the lyrics. When she finally found what she was looking for, she straightened and pointed her wand at the cd player.

"_Ludus_ **_'Wake Up'_**." She whispered.

The cd gave a violent shudder, but before it could play, Rhiannon tapped it again with her wand.

"_Pausa_."

As Rhiannon twirled her wand between her fingers joyfully, Bill eyed her in confusion.

"What did you do?" He asked hesitantly. 

Rhiannon flashed him a triumphant grin and replied, 

"Oh, just dealing out some payback." She said simply. 

Bill then gave a sudden laugh, a glint in his hazel eyes. 

"_Great_! I'm going to love this, I just know it." He murmured.

__

Rhiannon nodded and grinned before setting her wand to her throat and tapping it.

********************

__

"Alright. As fun as this glare-fest has been, I'm going have to bow out for the moment. I want go get some punch and just rest a bit. Alright? Now, don't kill each other as soon as I leave. I won't be very inclined to want to date the only one left standing if you do." Artemis said, cautiously stepping away from Draco and George.

The two boys nodded, pocketed their wands and turned to eye each other. 

"Yeah, I'm going to go rest too." George said, stepping away from his adversary. 

Draco raised his chin proudly, his gray eyes sparking the longer he stared at George. 

"I'm going to go _mingle_." He retorted cooly, walking off in the opposite direction. 

Artemis merely rolled her eyes as she watched the two boys walked away from each other, both chins raised stubbornly, both pairs of hands itching to curse the other. Then she frowned as Rhiannon's voice rose out over the room, loud and vibrant. 

"This song is for a certain group of people, a love triangle who needs to decide who goes with who so the rest of us can cease to be tortured by your song-request-wars." 

Artemis gasped and brought her hand to her mouth, suddenly blushing horribly.

On opposite sides of the dance floor, George and Draco stopped dead in their tracks. They both knew who that _love triangle_ was composed of. George Weasley shook his head and clenched his fists in frustration as a few seventh years pointed in his direction mirthfully. 

"Sister-in-law or no sister-in-law, she's goin' down." He muttered. 

However, George decided that though she'd played her cards horribly, the most he could do was listen to what Rhiannon was trying to tell him before he dealt out payback.

********************

__

Wake up and tell me it's alright,

Wake up, 'cause I just wanna hold you tight.

Wake up and tell me it's alright.

It doesn't matter you've got all that you need. 

It doesn't matter you've got everything you see.

It doesn't matter you've got anything you please.

But you don't have me.

It doesn't matter you've got all that you need.

It doesn't matter you take everything you see.

It doesn't matter you've got anything you please.

But you don't have me.

Why do you close your eyes so tight?

When you kiss him in the night,

And you make believe the face,

Just to try to fill the space.

Wake up and tell me it's alright,

Wake up cause I just wanna hold you tight,

Wake up and tell me it's alright.

Don't you ever wonder what you're looking for?

Wake up and tell me it's alright,

Wake up cause I just wanna hold you tight.

Wake up and tell me it's alright.  
Don't you ever wonder what you're looking for?

Don't you ever wonder what you're looking for?

Cause you don't have me.

In that moment, Draco almost forgave the person who had humiliated him in front of all the people dancing in the Dining Hall. As much as it had hurt his pride to be humiliated in that fashion, it all made sense to him, the message that Rhiannon was trying to get across to him. He _hoped_ Artemis was listening, and listening closely. That was _exactly_ how he felt. She had everything she could ever want: friends, a pure heritage, a good mind, everything any self-respecting wizard or witch should desire. But she didn't have him. And she _should_ have him. He should have _her_. He _loved_ her. He really didn't believe that Weasley loved her like he did. Weasley loved her for her company. Draco loved her for who she was, for what she did to him, how she made him feel. She needed him, just like he needed her. She was his rock, he was the waves crashing below her, grasping desperately for something to hold onto.

********************

__

Wish I had heard all the words that I say,

It doesn't matter she's got all that she needs.

I'm looking forward to how lonely I will stay.

Cause you don't have me.

  
Will it matter when you're on your own?

Will it matter when you're all alone?

Will it matter when you stop and smell the breeze,

And you don't have me?

Why do you close your eyes so tight?

When you kiss him in the night,

And you make believe the face,

Just to try to fill the space.

Wake up and tell me it's alright,

Wake up cause I just wanna hold you tight,

Wake up and tell me it's alright.

Don't you ever wonder what you're looking for?

Wake up and tell me it's alright,

Wake up cause I just wanna hold you tight.

Wake up, wake up.  
Don't you ever wonder what you're looking for?

Don't you ever wonder who you're looking for?

Cause you don't have me.

No you don't have me.

Cause you don't have me.

George Weasley gently rested his head against the wall as he listened to the verses. He too forgave Rhiannon in that moment, for the verse made sense. 

__

That's all it is. She has **everything**. She could have Draco if she wanted. 

He really didn't BELIEVE that Artemis was going to love HIM, did he? 

__

I mean, honestly. She has **Draco Malfoy** going after her. 

Draco had so many advantages over him. Draco was stunningly handsome; _he_ was only moderately cute. He also abhorred his nose and his freckles. He had no real looks to speak of. However, his one consolation was that there was another person in the room who was the carbon copy of himself. It was a comfort to know that he shared his defective nose with someone else. 

Draco was rich; _he_ was poor. Draco had everything, could offer Artemis anything. He had nothing to his name. That was ALL he had. His _name_. What kind of future was that? 

__

What kind of thing is THAT to offer the girl you love? George thought, dejection spinning circles around his thoughts. 

In truth, the reason that part of the song made so much sense was that he was willing to give Artemis up. To let her be on her own, to let her choose. If she chose Draco, he wouldn't stand in her way. He would step aside and let her take him, marry him, take his name, and still be civil to her. He couldn't treat her badly, not like other fellows did when their girls chose other guys over them. No, if he had to, he would let Artemis Thornshadow go and he wouldn't stand in her way. Any other boy would never had counted this theory as an option. George Weasley was not that kind of boy.

********************.

Harry shook his head as he listened to the song. He too, knew who the love triangle was composed of. Probably all the people in his year did. When George and Draco made war, they were _very_ public about it. It was impossible for anyone, even the other houses, NOT to know. 

"Who's this song for, Harry?" 

Harry turned to face Sirius who ran a hand through his now sweaty black hair as he looked down at him. 

"It's just for a couple friends." Harry said with a shrug, inwardly thinking that the least he could do was preserve Artemis, George and Draco's privacy since Sirius was one of the few who _didn't_ know about them. 

However, Sirius did not look put off. Instead, he nodded knowingly, a shrewd smile curving about his lips. 

"Ah, it's for Arthur Weasley's son, Malfoy and that cute blonde." Harry let his mouth go slack for a moment before he grinned broadly at his godfather's intuitiveness. "I'm not _that_ thick. I've seen those two masses of raging hormones fighting over that girl all night. Who does she actually like?" Sirius asked. 

Harry shrugged.

"Who knows? I don't think she _wants _to choose, but Draco and George aren't going to stop at anything." 

Sirius nodded and sighed reminiscently. 

"Ah, young love. I did that one time." Sirius said, sticking his hands in the pockets of his robes. 

"What?" Harry asked curiously. 

"Stalked a girl. You know, gave her flowers, magicked up little presents for her, dedicated dung-bombs to her, stuff like that." Sirius, nonchalant strains echoing in his tone. 

Harry had to suppress a chuckle as he gazed at Sirius, trying to imagine him stalking a girl, throwing dung bombs at her one minute, then shoving flowers in her face the next. 

"Did my Dad do that too?" 

Sirius grinned broadly in remembrance. 

"Oh, he had quite a few 'accidental' run-ins with your Mum. At least we swore to him that we _believed_ they were accidental. But the only thing is, your Dad didn't go for the romantic approach like I did." Sirius said, a twinkle in his eyes. 

"Really? What did he do?" Harry asked eagerly. 

"He went for the more violent, eye-catching approach. Pitched dung-bombs at her when she'd come out of class. Exchange her wand with a fake wand so that she'd get shown up in Charms. Set rabid Hoptoads on her when she was going to the bathroom. Stuff like that. That's only a _few_ instances." 

Harry stared at Sirius in astonishment. 

"My Mum must have HATED him!" He said in astonishment.

"Yeah, she would have, till everything backfired." Sirius said glumly. 

"Why? What happened?" Harry asked curiously. 

"Oh, he pulled some prank, then saved her life." Sirius complained. 

"What did he do?" Harry questioned with interest. 

"He messed with her broomstick before Quidditch practice." Sirius said with a nonchalant shrug. This time, Harry could not keep his mouth from falling wide open. 

"He could have _killed_ her." He almost yelled, remembering his _own_ experience with an enchanted broomstick. 

Sirius nodded fervently in agreement. 

"Yeah, probably. But James usually just thought of things to do, then did them, not really thinking of the consequences. Thinking through schemes _completely _was more along the lines of Remus. That was HIS forte." Sirius said, a twinkle in his eye. 

"Well? What happened?" Harry pressed.

"Just what a normal human being would, or _should_ expect of an enchanted broomstick. The thing went out of control the minute Lily went into the air. It was a pretty powerful charm you see. The broom moved constantly, trying to throw her off, but see, the one thing James _didn't_ calculate was that your Mum wasn't about to allow herself be thrown to the ground and be made a fool out of. James realized that _quickly_." Sirius said, shaking his head. "He finally realized that when the broomstick flew _out _of the Quidditch field and _much_ higher than he had anticipated, with Lily still holding onto it. Then he got his broomstick and brought her down just as she fell off. She was up a good couple hundred feet too. It seemed like he was doing detentions for forever." Sirius said wistfully. 

"So, Mum didn't mind that he'd been trying to KILL her?" Harry asked. 

"Oh, he wasn't trying to KILL her! He was just trying to _scare_ her." Sirius said, quickly coming to his friend's rescue. 

"Yeah, but, Sirius, she could have fallen the WHOLE couple hundred feet! I mean, what would have happened if Dad hadn't realized what was happening before it was too late?" Harry protested. 

"Then she would have been a pancake and YOU wouldn't be here!" Sirius burst out almost desperately. 

Harry suddenly noticed the blush that rested on his godfather's ordinarily pale cheeks. He cocked his head as he stared at his godfather. 

"Sirius, did YOU help Dad with that scheme?" He asked quietly. 

"It wasn't supposed to get _that_ out of control." Sirius muttered. "She was supposed to fall off the instant it started going crazy. Stubborn female."

"So THAT'S how Mum fell in love with Dad?" Harry asked in disbelief. 

Sirius shrugged. 

"Rather. That's just how it started. First, she was really mad at him after she found out, but your Dad could beg really well. He got in her favor soon enough." Sirius said with a grin.

"What about you, Sirius? Wasn't there any girl who liked you and your dedicated dung bombs?" Harry teased, half-joking, half-serious.

Sirius's grin flickered, and he rubbed his chin a moment.

"Not really."

"Doesn't look like you're telling the truth, Sirius."

"Well, Harry, I'm not the best liar."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Was there ever a girl?" Harry pressed.

Another pause. Then,

"There might have been."

"Do you want to tell me about her?"  


"Not especially." Sirius said shortly.

The look on Sirius's face was a familiar one to Harry. He'd seen it several times throughout the last few days. That look of mixed sadness and frustration. He saw it in his face whenever he talked soberly with Rhiannon about the Master's Mirror and Voldemort.

"Well then, I need some advice." Harry said.

Sirius's face lit up and a smile started at one corner of his mouth.

"I can do advice. What on?"

"Girls."

The smile faded again. 

"Harry, why the sudden preoccupation with members of the opposite sex?" Sirius asked shortly.

Harry shrugged, trying to ignore his godfather's cool tone. 

"Because I have to deal with them, and I don't know _how_ to deal with them. And there might be one that, I, perhaps, maybe,"

Sirius's face softened as he stared down at Harry. He held up his hand, stopping Harry mid-sentence.

"Treat girls with respect. That's what they want. Also do whatever they say, unless it involves something that's demeaning to your masculinity. Then, you run like hell." Sirius said with a smile. "Tell them that they're always right, it keeps them happy. Tell her," Suddenly, Sirius eyes gained a deadened look and he no longer looked at Harry, but stared past him. "Tell her that you love her at least one hundred times a day. Tell her that she's the only woman who understands you. Harry," Sirius suddenly grasped Harry's shoulder and looked him in the eyes intensely. "Don't let her walk out on you without explaining what you did wrong. I don't give a damn if you think _you're_ right and _she's_ wrong. It's just a natural fact of life that men are wrong most of the time. Whenever you get together and she gets ready to leave, make sure she knows you care. You'd feel horrible if something happened to her and, and the only thing you could think of was that you didn't tell her at least that before she left." 

Harry stared at his godfather in confusion. There was something that Sirius was reliving, remembering even as he spoke. Harry had no idea what it was, or who he could be speaking of. Whoever it was, whatever the situation had been, it had stung his godfather deeply and mortally.

Finally, after a long period of silence, a wistful smile passed across Sirius's lips.

"However, you don't have to do that until you get a steady girl, Harry." Then the smile increased to a grin and Sirius stepped past Harry, a glint in his pale eyes. "Hold on a minute, Harry. Remus looks as though he's getting a bit _too _comfy with Miss Spirix Fantasia."

Harry didn't see anything unusual going on between his former D.A.D.A. teacher and the tall woman to whom he was speaking. A minute later, Harry couldn't help but grin and shake his head in sympathy for Remus as Sirius pushed himself between the two and began speaking enthusiastically to the witch, Spirix Fantasia. 

********************

Fred Weasley watched his twin brother from the side of the dance floor, noticing how he kept casting wistful glances at Artemis as she talked with Hermione and Ron on the other side of the dance floor. Then he cast his eyes in the direction of Draco Malfoy, who was simply standing, not glancing at Artemis, merely staring into space, thinking perhaps. As the Weasley boy glanced at the both of them, then at the girl they both wanted to attain for themselves, a wicked, gloriously _evil_ plan came into his mind. A plan only a _Weasley_ could come up with. Quickly, he stepped up to the cd player and grabbed the book of songs. He had an idea, if he could only remember the song he needed.

********************

George sighed and straightened his back as he moved towards the punch table and grasped a glass of the red concoction that rested on the table. A moment later, his fingers gripped the goblet extra tightly when a sudden announcement from a familiar voice stilled his actions. 

"This next song is going out from You-Know-Who, no, not THAT one, to Artie. C'mon and make up your mind, Artie!" The voice called out. 

Inwardly, George groaned and smacked the palm of his hand on his forehead as the all too familiar song rang out over the speakers. It was one that Rhiannon had played extensively before D.A.D.A. classes. George and Fred both knew it by _heart_ because they both liked to come to class early to speak with Rhiannon. Both he and his twin teased her continually about the song, and now Fred was using it against him.

__

One, two,

Princes kneel before you,

That's what I said, now.

Princes, Princes who adore you,

Just go ahead now.

One has diamonds in his pockets,

That's some bread, now.

This one, he wants to buy you rockets,

Ain't in his head, now.

This one, he got a princely racket,

That's what I said, now.

Got some, big seal upon his jacket,

Ain't in his head, now.

Marry him, your father will condone you,

How 'bout that, now?

Marry me, your father will disown you,

He'll eat his hat, now.

Marry him, or marry me,

I'm the one that loves you, baby, can't you see?

Ain't got no future or a family tree but,

I know what a prince and lover ought to be,

I know what a prince and lover ought to be.

Said, if you, want to call me baby,

Just go ahead, now.

And if you, would like to tell me maybe,

Just go ahead, now.

An' if you, wanna buy me flowers,

Just go ahead, now.

And if you, would like to talk for hours,

Just go ahead now.

__

One, two,

Princes kneel before you,

That's what I said, now.

Princes, Princes who adore you,

Just go ahead now.

One has diamonds in his pockets,

That's some bread, now.

This one, he wants to buy you rockets,

Ain't in his head, now.

Marry him, or marry me,

I'm the one that loves you, baby, can't you see?

Ain't got no future or a family tree but,

I know what a prince and lover ought to be,

I know what a prince and lover ought to be.

Said, if you, want to call me baby,

Just go ahead, now.

And if you, would like to tell me maybe,

Just go ahead, now.

An' if you, wanna buy me flowers,

Just go ahead, now.

And if you, would like to talk for hours,

Just go ahead now.

Oh your majesty!

C'mon forget your king an',

Marry me!

Just go ahead now!

"Good idea, eh, mate?" 

George glared viciously at his twin as the guilty boy leaned against George's shoulder. 

"She's gonna KILL me! I promised earlier this evening not to press her! Now what's she gonna think?" George hissed. 

"She's going to think you're AWFULLY bold." Fred grinned, pointing at Artemis who was storming towards the both of them, a glint in her ashen-blue eyes. 

"Artemis, I can explain." George started as Artemis placed her hands on her hips. 

"Yeah, you better." She challenged. 

"Well you see, I," George started. 

"Isn't he bold?" Fred cut in, grinning at Artemis as he put his arm around his twin. 

Perhaps it was the look of death that George cast at his twin, or perhaps it was the look of utter and complete triumph that echoed on Fred's face that made Artemis catch on. Whatever it was, it caused her to soften visibly as she looked at the two of them. 

"Oh, I see. Freds, how about I find a song for you and Alicia? Hmm?" 

Fred paled as he noticed the malicious gleam in Artemis' eyes. That gleam didn't lie. If forced, she would do _exactly_ as she threatened. 

"Artie, now, you wouldn't? Right?" He stammered. 

Artemis shrugged. 

"I don't know. Would I?" She asked. 

"Okay, I get the picture here. I'm going. I'm going." Fred said nervously, eager to place himself at Alicia's side so that any assailants given by his twin would be easily disproved.

As soon as he left, the music was cut short and Mr. Weasley's voice boomed across the room loudly.

"Excuse me! Attention all! We're about to finish the ceremony in a little different way. We're going to do some things such as cutting the wedding cake and something with a garter," Mr. Weasley stopped abruptly as someone let loose a shrill whistle. "Now, that's uncalled for!" He tutted. "Everyone just gather at the table at the head of the room."

Harry grinned as Mr. Weasley flushed red and tapped his throat with his wand. A moment later, the head table that had been shoved to the side of the dance floor, shot to the head of the hall, a large wedding cake settled in its middle. 

"Looks like Rhia decided to keep some of her Muggle traditions." Ron said with a smile as he made a beeline towards the table, dragging Hermione along behind him. Harry frowned as he tried to keep up with his friends. 

"Professor Flutterae's not a pureblood?" Harry asked breathlessly. 

Ron didn't answer him immediately, as he was shoving through the pressing crowd. 

" 'Scuse me! A fellow who needs cake, coming through! 'Scuse me! Pardon me! C'mon! 'Scuse me!" 

Ron finally got up front and pulled Harry up with him. Ron grinned and gave a whoop as he saw Rhiannon and Bill approach the table, both grinning widely at the whoops and cheers that were thrown at them from all directions.

"Ron! Professor Flutterae isn't a pureblood?" Harry repeated in Ron's ear. 

Ron started and rubbed his ear, but nodded.

"That's right. Her Mum and Dad were Muggles." 

"_Were_?" 

Ron winced and took a step away from the crowds gathering around the table. He pulled Harry and Hermione close to him and whispered,

"Her Mum and Dad were killed in the old days before You-Know-Who was defeated. Almost a month before he killed your Mum and Dad." 

Hermione gasped aloud and pressed her lips to her mouth. Harry felt his own mouth go slack as he took in Ron's words. Rhiannon had been in her first year of Hogwarts and her parents had been killed less than a month before his own had been slaughtered. Harry had never realized the things that he and his teacher had in common.

"Don't talk about it though, alright?" Ron whispered urgently as he turned to make his way back into the crowd. "Don't wanna bring it up now."

Harry pushed to the front of the crowd in a sort of daze. He was still trying to comprehend the circumstances surrounding Rhiannon and her family. He watched as Bill placed his hand over Rhiannon's, which grasped the cake knife. Rhiannon looked up lovingly at Bill and he winked at her, then together, they made a clean swipe through the cake, much to the crowd's appreciation. Harry watched as his teacher grinned at her husband, then laughed as he licked the knife clean of icing. She was happy. She had gone through tragedy, but she was happy. He was certain that there was an empty space in her heart that her parents had left, one that no one could fill. But she had survived. He supposed he could too. It would take time, but if Rhiannon, who had known her parents for eleven years, much longer than he had known his own parents, could do it, then he was certain that he could.

Grinning, Rhiannon slipped the large piece of cake onto one of the crystal plates sitting on the table. Bill, suppressing a smile, balanced a bite of cake on his fork as Rhiannon closed her eyes and opened her mouth. Harry glanced at Ron as his friend held his breath and watched as Bill carefully slid the cake into Rhiannon's mouth without incident. 

"Thank God. Mum was worried that he'd try to mess up her dress or something." Ron breathed. 

Harry chuckled, then watched as Rhiannon took a forkful of the cake and held it up as Bill closed his eyes and opened his mouth. A sudden mischievous look came over her face and she took the piece between thumb and forefinger and glanced at the crowd. The crowd gave her the affirmative and Rhiannon popped the bite-sized portion in her own mouth, but grasped the large piece of cake and shoved it into Bill's face.

The wizards and witches all around them, laughed hysterically as Bill's mouth gaped and his eyes shot open. He stared at Rhiannon, who was laughing loudly, then glanced at the top layer of the cake, a small thing, topped with a bride and groom ornament. 

"WILLIAM WEASLEY! DON'T YOU DARE!" 

Bill's grasping hand halted in mid-air as he heard his mother's frantic, but firm voice. He dropped his hand away from the ornament and glared at Rhiannon, who continued to laugh, her eyes shining. He nodded in submission, then moved to cut another piece of cake. With his fingers, he grasped a large piece from it and shoved it in Rhiannon's face. She gasped and inhaled cake as she did so, the crowd laughing around them. Bill laughed loudly as Mrs. Weasley let loose a loud cry at the sight. 

Bill shook his head after a time as he watched his wife sputter through white icing.

"_Remotio concresco_!" He muttered.

Instantly, the cake disappeared from the bride and groom's faces and they silently called a truce, picking up instead the bottle of champagne. They linked arms and drank the bubbly stuff without comment, a secret smile on both their faces. Then Rhiannon whispered something in Bill's ear, who shrugged and replied, 

"Ladies first." 

Rhiannon smiled, then grabbed her bouquet of flowers. She moved away from the cake and glanced out into the crowd. Hermione and a few other girls stepped in back of her, but the others eyed each other in confusion. Rhiannon frowned, then gasped in realization.

"What I'm going to do," She explained. "Is throw the bouquet! What needs to happen, is the single girls and women come around behind me and I'll throw the bouquet out among them. Whoever catches it will be married next! The same goes for the garter, which Bill will do in a minute." Before Rhiannon could finish Charlie let loose a piercing whistle, which caused Bill to blush a vivid red and mutter under his breath. "Yes, but only with that, the boys and men have to come and catch it. Then they'll supposedly be the next ones to be married." Rhiannon explained.

"So, will the girl who caught the bouquet and the fellow who catches the, the _garter_," A seventh year Ravenclaw said, prounouncing the word 'garter' like a foreign word. "Will they be married to each _other_?"

Rhiannon blinked and stared at the girl a few moments before she answered.

"Well, it doesn't mean that _persay_. It's just a Muggle tradition we have in weddings."

The crowd murmured, as if conceding that the reason that the tradition was so odd was simply the fact that it was Muggle. The single girls, with the exception of several older witches, all crowded in a huge mass behind Rhiannon.

"Now, NO magic!" Rhiannon called behind her as she prepared to throw the flowers. 

Rhiannon stood still a moment, the bouquet poised behind her. Then she tossed it backwards as far as she could. There was a general scream among the girls as the bouquet fell directly in the middle of them. But only one girl rose triumphantly with the bouquet in her fist. Ginny Weasley, breathless and laughing, her hair askew and in her face, held up the bouquet triumphantly, received a kiss from Rhiannon, then stepped away, allowing the other girls to observe her prize. 

Then Rhiannon grinned and sat down on a chair that had been moved to the center of the crowd, and propped one leg on the other, her eyes twinkling. Bill too grinned and knelt down in front of her.

"Well, that's us." Ron said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he and Harry and the other boys walked into a group. 

Harry was surprised to see Sirius in the crowd, but then he noticed that his godfather's hand was firmly clamped on the pale and rueful looking Remus, who occasionally moved to glare at his friend. Harry chuckled, then turned back to the scene before him. Bill was obviously nervous, and the boys and men behind him weren't helping any. Especially his _brothers_. 

"Now be careful, Bill, old boy!" Fred called out from one end of the crowd. 

"You don't want your hands to _slip_!" George concurred, the grin on his face identical to his twin. Bill shook his head, but did not move his hands from their position on Rhiannon's knee. 

"C'mon, Bill! I wanna see if I'm gonna get a girl ever!" Charlie hooted. 

"C'mon, Bill, you can't take all day you know! I know you wanna get out of here anyway!" Ron yelled loudly, much to Harry's surprise. 

__

That got the satisfied reaction out of Bill that his brothers had been trying to attain. Bill, red-faced, suddenly turned and glared at all the sections of the crowd where his brothers were standing.

"Shut _up_, already!" He yelled. 

"Well, if you'd just get the stupid garter! Bloody hell! Even _I'd_ have it off by now!" 

Sirius yelled from the middle of the crowd, causing Harry to choke on his laughter. 

"S'okay, Sirius. He wants to _drag_ it out, doncha, big brother?" Charlie called maliciously. 

That was the final straw. Bill shook his head and slipped his hand under Rhiannon's robe, his cheeks a bright red. Ron grinned broadly as he watched his brother, still embarrassed by the cat-calls. But it didn't affect his timing. He brought it out quickly and waved it over the group. The crowd cheered loudly and positioned themselves. Bill played with the garter a moment, feeling the elasticity with his fingers. Then he positioned it behind him, and shot it into the crowd. Harry didn't think he'd ever seen Ron jump so high in his life. He probably broke a record as he jumped and caught the garter in mid-air. The other boys and men who were looking around for the garter on the ground, groaned good-naturedly at Ron as he waved it in front of them. Bill put his hands on his hips and breathed a sigh of relief, shaking his head at his youngest brother, who was looking very pleased with himself.

"Congratulations, Ron!" Harry said good-naturedly. 

Ron turned to him, his face slightly red and winked. 

"Used a bouncing charm. That would be kinda cheating, wouldn't it? After all, Rhia _did_ say no magic. But I had to." Ron said, his eyes twinkling. Harry merely shook his head and laughed, grabbing a piece of cake from the table as he and Ron passed. "I think I just died and went to heaven." Ron groaned as he finished his piece of cake off in a matter of seconds, shoving a large, lavender icing-rose in his mouth and smacking his lips contentedly. 

Hermione screwed up her face in disgust as she eyed him. 

"Pig." She said simply, taking a drink of pumpkin juice. 

"Aw, you're just sore that you didn't get the flowers. Don't worry." He stretched the garter out in front of Hermione's face with a grin. "I got the garter, so that makes _one_ of us that's gonna get married." 

Hermione shook her head in frustration, the reason for this that Harry could not see. But Ron didn't seem to mind.

"What? Are you asking me to _marry_ you?" Hermione challenged. Ron shrugged and pocketed the garter. 

"I'll keep it around for good luck." He said in an explanatory way. 

Hermione stared at him, then grew bright red and became very interested in the contents of her goblet. Ron grinned and winked at Harry before taking a great gulp from his goblet. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we're going to have two more slow songs before we conclude this evening's ceremony. What's that?" Charlie, who was imitating a Muggle dj, suddenly stopped speaking, a surprised look coming over his face as he heard the calls of one girl. "Well, I, I suppose I could dance with you." He stuttered, still surprised by the attention. 

Ron grinned as his brother grasped the hand of the girl who'd called him 'a hottie' and walked out onto the dance floor. Harry could almost swear that the older Weasley boy's hands were shaking.

"That's Charlie for you. I bet you he's bloody nervous. He hasn't danced with a girl in _ages_." Ron said in an explanatory way. Then as slow, gentle music played out across the hall, Ron quickly put down his juice and grasped Hermione's hand. "C'mon, Hermione. Dance with me." He said quickly. 

Hermione didn't even hesitate. She simply took his hand and walked towards the dance floor. Harry smiled as he watched them. It was so surprising how things turned out. Before their first Yule Ball, Ron could barely ask _anyone_, let alone Hermione. Now he had grown bold and didn't even think twice about asking her. Then he saw George walking towards Artemis and taking her hand in his, leading her out onto the dance floor. It seemed that everyone had the guts to dance with _someone_. After all, there were only two more dances. Who would be willing to dance with him because it was _him_, not because he was famous Harry Potter. 

A sudden rush of adrenaline shot through him, and he suddenly realized who _would_ be willing to do that. He stepped down from the platform and walked over towards the table where Ginny and Mrs. Weasley sat, watching the other dancers. Harry smiled through his nervousness as he saw Mr. Weasley standing in front of the cd player, poking it and prodding it, asking Rhiannon questions as he did so. Mrs. Weasley was watching the dancers with narrowed eyes, clucking at the closeness of the bodies of a few of the younger couples. Ginny was sitting still, her red head resting on her hand, just watching the others. 

Harry took a deep breath, probably _blushing_, he was sure, then tapped Ginny on the shoulder. Just as Harry had hoped, Ginny didn't care that he was blushing. She simply looked up at him and smiled sweetly. 

"Yes, Harry?" 

A lump rose in Harry's throat, but he quickly overcame it as he blurted out, 

"Do you want to dance, Ginny?" 

He barely noticed Mrs. Weasley's hand as it settled over her heart, or the shining look in her eyes as she looked at them. Ginny's smile grew wider and she stood, taking Harry's limp hand. 

"Sure, Harry. I'd love to." She said boldly. 

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, the tingling feeling that had spread from his head to his toes, burning him. But it was a pleasant burn, one, he was _sure_ he could get used to. He just had to get over the pain of the asking.

__

Now the night has gone,

Now the night has gone away.

Doesn't seem that long,

We hardly had two words to say.

Hold me in your arms for just another day,

I promise this one will go slow.

We have the right you know.

We have the right you know.

Don't say the morning's come,

Don't say the morning's come so soon. 

Must we end this way?

When so much here is hard to lose?

Love is everywhere,

I know it is.

Such moments as this are too few.

Its all up to you.

It's all up to you.

Here I am,

The one that you love,

Asking for another day.

Understand,

The one that you love,

Loves you in so many ways.

Tell me we can stay,

Tell me we can stay, oh please.

They are the words to say,

The only words I can believe.

Hold me in your arms for just another day,

I promise this one will go slow.

We have the right, you know.  
We have the right, you know.

Here I am,

The one that you love,

Asking for another day.

Understand,

The one that you love,

Loves you in so many ways.

The night has gone,

A part of yesterday.

I don't know what to say.

I don't know what to say.

Here I am,

The one that you love,

Asking for another day.

Understand,

The one that you love,

Loves you in so many ways.

"Hey, Ginny," Harry spoke up hesitantly. 

"Yes, Harry." Ginny replied, looking up at Harry with a smile. 

Harry gulped breathlessly. Why was it that this, well, that GIRLS did this to a fellow, even if they don't like them? 

__

And I don't like Ginny Weasley! Right? Of course. Of, I, right? 

He faltered and inwardly gaped at himself. What he was about to ask, what he was about to say, was absolute madness. 

__

Don't do it, Harry! Don't be an idiot! Everybody will think you're crazy if you, 

"You know, Ginny. We really don't know each other that well. Maybe we should try to. I mean, I really haven't been able to really, an' I feel like that's, rather, my fault, really." He stuttered. 

__

You said 'really' three times, lunkhead. His brain scoffed. 

"I know." He muttered, but at the same time, eagerly eyeing the light that flickered in Ginny's eyes. She nodded her red head energetically and smiled. 

"Sure, Harry! That would be nice. I really don't know _you_ that well either." She said apologetically. 

Harry smiled and nodded, looking down at the ground before looking up at her and starting to speak in a shy voice that grew louder as he got bolder. 

"Well, my favorite ice-cream is probably Wild-berries, when they have it at Diagon Alley, that is. I'd like to learn to ride a bike. I never really had one of my own, but I think it'd be fun to do."

"You do? I've always wondered about bikes! They're those Muggle contraptions with two wheels and pedals, aren't they? Dad brought one home once! But Mum made him destroy it after he tried to enchant it to fly and Fred and George crashed it into her garden. How does it really work? I mean, without enchantments, that is, if you don't mind telling me." Ginny said, her excitement fading as she realized how much she was speaking. 

But Harry grinned. He had no clue that Ginny could talk this much. He didn't mind either. 

"Well, my cousin Dudley had a bike for a while before he got too fat to ride it. What you do is sit on the seat and balance yourself over the pedals and then push the pedals with your feet. Then the wheels move and you go!"

"But isn't it hard to get your balance?" 

"It seems like it should, doesn't it? But I suppose it takes practice, just like a broomstick."

Harry felt as though he should feel differently about the things he was saying. He felt a _twinge_ of self-consciousness as he spoke, but not much. Ginny didn't care if he stuttered or said 'really' several times in one sentence. It was almost as though she was as nervous as he was and she understood the reason. But he wasn't sure if he believed that. Girls weren't _that_ intuitive, were they?

The whole situation, the setting around him was so different in Harry's mind, so peaceful actually. When would all these people be together in one place ever again? Any minute, some of them could give in to the call of evil, others could be killed in the struggle for good. Standing there in that moment, Harry realized how much he should treasure this moment, because he might never have another moment like it ever again. Though it hurt to think about it, he might lose one of these people standing here, just as he'd lost Cedric, numerous other students, and all those teachers. He HAD to cherish them now, for in an instant, they could be gone. There was one thing he was sure of as he gazed into the brightly blazing eyes of Ginny Weasley. No matter what, he would fight to keep those people around him, with him for as long as possible.

********************

Draco waited impatiently for the song to end, his reserved gray eyes fixed on Artemis as she danced with George. He tapped his foot and rolled his eyes, glaring at te cd player blaring the offending music. He didn't like the song. It was a good song, he SUPPOSED, but the main reason he didn't like it was because Artemis wasn't dancing with HIM. Now, had she been dancing with HIM, he'd love it. But as it was..........

__

Finally, that bloody song's done. Draco muttered inwardly as the song lyrics faded away. 

Quickly, he walked up to Artemis and grasped her hand from George. George cast him a sour look as he stepped aside. 

"What's the matter, Weasley? Got something in your throat?" Draco sneered as he took Artemis' hand and positioned himself beside her. Artemis sighed and glanced at George apologetically as she waltzed away. 

__

Find me here.

Speak to me.  
I want to feel you.

I need to hear you.

You are the light,

That's leading me,

To the place,

Where I find peace again.

You are the strength,

That keeps me walking.

You are the hope,

That keeps me trusting.

You are the life to my soul.

You are my purpose.

You are everything.

And how can I,

Stand here with you,

And not be moved by you?

Would you tell me,

How could it be,

Any better than this?

You calm the storms.

You give me rest.

You hold me in your hands.

You won't let me fall.

You still my heart,

And you take my breath away.

Would you take me in?

Would you take me deeper now?

__

And how can I,

Stand here with you,

And not be moved by you?

Would you tell me,

How could it be,

Any better than this?

'Cause you're all I want.

You're all I need.

You are everything.

Everything.

Could you tell me,

How could it be,

Any better than this?

Draco sighed with contentment as he gazed down at the girl holding his hand quietly. He felt that this night was one night where he'd been perfectly happy. True, there had been a few rough spots, but Artemis had been there to smooth them out. In fact, he couldn't remember a time when he'd been truly _happy_. There'd been no joy in his home. His mother was firm and strict, submitting to Lucius' every whim and will for Draco. Lucius stared at him as if he was worth nothing. He felt his son was weak and he let him know it. Draco silently stiffened as he remembered his father, the scowl he ALWAYS had on his face when he looked at his son. ALWAYS. It was always there. He could probably honestly say, that he had never been happy, at least until he'd met Artemis. He'd just have to deal with Weasley. That was all. Not an easy task, he realized now. Artemis _was_ attached to him, liking his jokes and pranks and all. But she liked HIM too. He knew it. He sensed it. He just had to cause her to sway towards him. That was all. That was all. 

********************

The bride and groom departed after the final song, waving from the broomstick they shared as they swooped out of one of the higher windows of Hogwarts, their owls flying behind them. Harry glanced at Ron as he gave a dismal sigh and stuck his hands in his pockets. 

"I hate to admit it, but I'm gonna miss the prat, AND her." Ron murmured.

Rhiannon had made sure to kiss each one of her new family members before she left, and though that family did _not_ include Harry, he received a hug and a kiss on the cheek as well.

"You be careful this summer, Harry." Rhiannon murmured as she sqeezed him. "And if anything happens, owl Dumbledore. But I have a feeling you'll be much happier this summer, staying with Ron and all." She said, winking.

"So when will we be seeing you again, Rhia?" Ron asked as his new sister-in-law straightened and made a move to walk away.

Rhiannon stopped and smiled excitedly at Ron.

"Bill and I will most likely drop by this summer, but I _will_ be seeing you both next year for classes."

"_Really_?" Ron said, amazement leaking into his voice. "Well then, you'll be the ONLY D.A.D.A. teacher to come back after a year, won't you?" 

Rhiannon couldn't help but grin and throw her hands in the air.

"I suppose so. Sorry to disappoint you."

"_Disappoint _me? Rhiannon, don't get me wrong, you can be bloody obnoxious and secretive, but I wouldn't have _anyone_ else be my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Ron said boldly, causing Rhiannon to kiss him firmly on the cheek, much to his dismay. "Come _off_ it, Rhiannon." He muttered, blushing.

"Sorry, Ron. I just couldn't help it. You're too fabulous for words." Rhiannon said, grinning.

Ron shrugged and returned the grin.

"What can I say? Just my natural charm kicking in." 

Harry grinned at the memory and turned to Ron, who was still watching his brother's broom drift away from them on a brisk current of wind. 

"I'm really glad your Mum and Dad said it's okay for me to stay with you over the summer." Harry breathed excitedly, imagining what a wonderful summer he would have, probably the best he'd had in years.

Ron grinned broadly at this bit of knowledge and sighed happily. 

"That is _bloody_ great, Harry! But," He paused, frowning. "You know, Dad says that there must be some kind of ancient magic on your aunt and uncle's house. Things keeping you safe. What will happen to them if you leave?"

Harry frowned and furrowed his forehead in thought. 

"I dunno. I suppose," 

"The spells and charms that were placed upon your aunt and uncle's home when you first arrived there, will be transferred to the Weasley's home." Dumbledore said from behind the boys. Harry turned around and smiled broadly at the Headmaster. 

"Really? So, I'll be just as protected at the Weasleys as I was at the Dursleys?" He asked hopefully. 

Dumbledore smiled through his long white beard and nodded. 

"That is correct, Harry. Now then, I suppose that you boys should be going upstairs to bed, as you've got an early start tomorrow. Got to get on the train and go home for the summer. This HAS been quite an interesting school year. Quite interesting. But not nearly as interesting as I feel the NEXT year will be." Dumbledore murmured softly.

Harry shook his head firmly, images of death and screams of torture filling his mind as suddenly as the words had been spoken. 

"I certainly hope it's not as _interesting_ as this year. I don't _want_ another year like this _ever_." Harry said firmly. 

Dumbledore glanced at him silently, then began to speak, his voice quiet, but very firm in its purpose. 

"I understand your feelings, Harry. But do me a favor," Dumbledore bent down close to Harry's face, the light in his crisp, blue eyes dampened in his sober nature. "Don't give up and give in just because of this horrible year we've had. People have died, yes. The Dark Powers have returned, yes. But all shall be taken care of. You shall be with the Weasleys, and the other children shall return to their homes." 

Harry suddenly frowned and looked up at the elderly wizard. 

"But what about Draco? Where's he going to go? He certainly can't go _home_." He protested. 

"No, he cannot go home." Dumbledore agreed. "It has been arranged that Mister Malfoy shall accompany Remus and Sirius into hiding until further notice. He will be much safer with the two of them." 

Harry and Ron's mouths both dropped open in shock. 

"SIRIUS? Draco, is going with SIRIUS?" Harry almost exploded. 

Dumbledore nodded. 

"Your godfather and I talked it over and decided that it would be best that you stay among the wizards, stay in the wizarding world so that you can be protected. Mister Malfoy will need this as well, but no one here will tolerate him, as well they shouldn't. Therefore, I assigned him to Sirius, seeing as the two are like two peas in a pod, both stubborn and smart-mouthed. Both can be terribly vicious if provoked. They'll be perfect companions, though they would _never_ admit it." Harry shook his head in disbelief, still unwilling to grasp that Draco, Draco _Malfoy_, that slimy git was leaving with _his_ godfather, taking the place beside him that should have been his. "I understand your frustration, Harry, but it is something you must accept." Dumbledore said quietly. "Sirius was not exactly _willing_ to take on Mister Malfoy, but he accepted it. Now, you had best say good-bye to Sirius now. He and Remus are leaving tonight. I myself have things to settle. Such as interviewing for teaching positions." Dumbledore smiled and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "You take care of yourself, Harry. You stay safe and keep your eyes open and your mind clear. Do that, and you'll go far." Dumbledore patted the boy's shoulder, then walked slowly off towards the other wizards gathered.

"I can't believe that _Draco_ is going with MY godfather." Harry muttered. 

"Well, might not be that bad." Harry turned and stared at Ron with disgust. "Well, c'mon! I mean, he might learn to be cool like Sirius!" Ron stuttered. 

Harry shook his head and eyed Draco, who stood by Sirius, looking very put out indeed. 

"I suppose I'd better say good-bye to him too. It's the only _nice_ thing to do." Harry muttered, sounding as though he'd rather do anything _but_ be nice to the Slytherin. 

Ron's eyes widened in surprise, then he placed his hand on Harry's head, grinning broadly. 

"_Bless_ you, son!" He said, quite loudly indeed. 

Harry groaned and smacked his friend's hand away playfully as he walked towards Draco.

Draco saw him coming before he was even two feet near him. That tell-tale sneer spread across his features and Harry had half a mind to just say good-bye to Remus and Sirius and forget even SPEAKING to Draco. But he couldn't help it. There was this thought running through his mind: it was probably what his father would have done. 

"So, I hear you're leaving, Draco." Harry said quietly. 

"Yes, Potter, no thanks to you. Can't believe I've got to go with your git of a godfather." Draco scoffed. 

Harry inwardly seethed, but he attempted to ignore the comment. 

"Well, I wanted to say good-bye and, I wanted to thank you." Harry managed to choke out. 

Draco's cold eyes narrowed. 

"For what, Potter?" He sneered. 

"Well, when you jumped in front of the '_Crucio_' curse. You didn't have to and,"

"Listen, Potter," Draco interrupted. "And listen good. Don't even think for a MOMENT that I did that for _you_. I did it for Artemis and ONLY Artemis. I didn't care about the rest of you. Just keep that in mind and DON'T be expecting any favors from me, because you won't get them." Draco finished coldly. 

Harry stared at the boy, the gray eyes so full of hatred and anger. Stubbornly, Harry drew his head up. 

"Good-bye then." He said coolly. 

Draco merely scoffed, deigning it unnecessary to even _answer_ Harry. Harry turned and clenched his fists as he walked over and said his good-byes to Remus, then walked slowly over to Sirius, who was talking once more with the witch, Spirix Fantasia. 

" C'mon, Spirix. You KNOW I was madly in love with you in fifth year. You've got to remember!" Sirius was pleading with the woman. 

The woman, who was quite tall, almost rivaling Sirius in height, suppressed a smile. Her black robes billowed around her curvaceous figure and her slender white fingers were resting on her cheek as she regarded Sirius thoughtfully, occasionally lifting a finger to extract a strand of black hair from her dark brown eyes. 

"Sorry, Sirius. It's not ringing a bell." She said, her voice smooth and delicate. 

Sirius threw his hands in the air. 

"The 'Spirix bomb'? You remember the 'Spirix bomb' don't you? It was a dung-bomb that I dedicated to YOU, in fifth year." Sirius explained. 

Spirix Fantasia merely smiled and shook her head. 

"Sorry, Sirius. Guess you'll have to remind me some other time." She said apologetically. 

Sirius shook his head as he stared at the witch in confusion and defeat. 

"I suppose. See you, Spirix." 

Spirix Fantasia turned and waved at him as she walked off towards Professor Dumbledore, who had been gesturing for her to approach him. Sirius slowly turned around to catch sight of Harry, and pulled up short. 

"You did NOT hear that. Understood?" He ordered. 

Harry grinned and nodded. 

"I didn't hear a thing. I think I need a Muggle hearing-aid." Harry responded sarcastically. Sirius chuckled and shook his head. 

"She's just playing hard to get. That's all. I'll get her in the end." He sighed dismally and ran his fingers through his black hair. "Well, I suppose this is good-bye till next year." Sirius said shortly. "You know, Dumbledore was talking about letting me stay with you all next year in school. As Padfoot of course, but still. That would be helpful. I'd like to do that, just so I could keep an eye out for you this time." He said with a wry smile. 

"I'd like that, I think." Harry replied. 

Sirius nodded, then quickly placed his arms around Harry and squeezed him tightly. 

"I'll see you then. You take care of yourself. Don't go getting killed this summer, because otherwise I'll go crazy." Sirius said quietly. 

Harry smiled gently. 

"I won't even THINK of it." He reassured him as Sirius released him.

"Good. Because if you do, I will kill you again!" Sirius said, shaking a finger at Harry before sticking his hands in his pockets. "You know, I'm really dreading this ride home. I feel like I've got a first class ticket into the pits of hell, or I'm ferrying around Beelzebub." He muttered. 

Harry laughed at the idea of Draco being the devil incarnate. To his surprise, it wasn't that hard to imagine. 

"You'll live. I'm sure of it." 

Sirius sighed and shook his head. 

"I suppose I'll have to. See you, Harry." 

"See you, Sirius." 

Harry watched his godfather walk to one of the open castle windows and jump on his broomstick. He then turned a sour face to Draco and indicated for him to jump on the broomstick as well. Draco glared at him and carefully stepped over the broomstick and settled himself on it. Perhaps it was the fact that Draco didn't JUMP onto the broomstick, or the glare he had given Sirius, but either way, something possessed Sirius Black to shoot off the tower at a high speed, causing Draco to lose his bag and grasp the broomhandle for dear life. Harry laughed loudly as he heard Draco cursing and screaming for Sirius to, 

"STOP THE BLOODY BROOMSTICK!" 

A few feet away from him, Harry saw Remus sigh and shake his head. Remus then grabbed Draco's bag and jumped onto his own broomstick, shooting off into the night sky behind Sirius. Harry waved to them, already wishing that it was NEXT year, and they were all together again. 

************************************************************************

**__**

Author's Note: Heh-heh, "STOP THE BLOODY BROOMSTICK!" One of my favorite lines. Anywho, hope this was worth the REALLY long wait. I apologize completely for that. It's been far too long! My gosh, only one more chapter after this! *sniffle* I'll miss you guys SO much! But hopefully the sequel to this will be done soon, though I'm starting to doubt it. Things are getting more and more complicated and the plot is becoming more and more twisted and it's surpassed 200 pages already. *rubs hands together* Heh-heh. Boy, am I gonna have a surprise for YOU guys when it comes out. I absolutely can't wait! I think it's even better than this one, actually! So, I hope you guys like it when it comes out. Actually, I have been considering as to whether or not I should do this. I've been thinking about releasing the title of the sequel just to start you guys guessing. I don't know though. Give me your opinions. I don't wanna release TOO much. Also, start thinking of questions to ask me about this story if you even have any, then post them in a review after the **NEXT** chapter. I'm pretty sure you guys might have a FEW questions, so I figured I'd try to answer them in a chapter after the story is finished. And if you don't have questions, cool.....sorta....not really.....I haven't done my job well. ;-) Any questions you've got, I'll try to answer them without giving away too much. ;-) So anyway, just wanted to let you know about that. 

Also, I wanted to address the obvious straying of J.K. Rowling's style in this chapter. I know she usually doesn't give us an inside glimpse of the thoughts of the other characters unless Harry hears it himself, but I felt it necessary for the sake of the future of the series if we heard the conversations between Draco and Artemis, Rhiannon and Snape, etc. So I hope that didn't throw you off too much and that it flowed alright. 

And there's another thing and perhaps I'm taking this a bit far. I don't WANT to reveal too much about Artemis or anything, but I also couldn't help but share this with you. See, there's this song that is TOTALLY Artemis's song. It's almost her theme song. So I decided that I'd show it to you guys and see if you guys could decipher anything from it. Heh-heh. I'm so mean.

**"Bring Me To Life"**

How can you see into my eyes like open doors?

Leading you down into my core,

Where I've become so numb without a soul.

_My spirit sleeping somewhere cold,_

Until you find it there and lead it back home.

Wake me up inside.

Wake me up inside. **(I can't wake up!)**

**(Save me!)**

Call my name and save me from the dark. 

**(Wake me up!)**

Bid my blood to run before I come undone.

**(I can't wake up!)**

**(Save me!)**

Save me from the nothing I've become.

Now that I know what I'm without

You can't just leave me.

Breathe into me and make me real.  
  
Bring me to life.

Wake me up inside.

Wake me up inside. **(I can't wake up)**

**(Save me!)**

Call my name and save me from the dark. 

**(Wake me up!)**

Bid my blood to run before I come undone.

**(I can't wake up!)**

**(Save me!)**

Save me from the nothing I've become.

Bring me to life.

**(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)**

Bring me to life.

Frozen inside without your touch, without your love.

Darling, only you are the life among the dead.

**All this time I can't believe I couldn't see.**

Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me.

I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems.

Got to open my eyes to everything.

**Without a thought without a voice without a soul.**

Don't let me die here.

**There must be something more.**

Bring me to life!

Wake me up inside.

Wake me up inside. **(I can't wake up)**

**(Save me!)**

Call my name and save me from the dark. 

**(Wake me up!)**

Bid my blood to run before I come undone.

**(I can't wake up!)**

**(Save me!)**

Save me from the nothing I've become.

Bring me to life.

****

(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)

Bring me to life!

So yes, this DOES have a deeper meaning than presented. It's up to you guys to sift through it and try to figure out what the heck T.H. is talking about. ;-) Good luck! 

Now, I must confess something sad to you all............I HAVEN'T READ THE FIFTH BOOK!!! *pitches a fit* I haven't been able to get a hold of it ANYWHERE! The library canceled my ruddy hold on it for some stupid reason and now I'm number 28 on the waiting list. :-0 I'm about to go mad, especially because I was a stupid git and went on ff.net after the book came out, stupidly forgetting that there was a death and that it was inevitable that people would write FANFICTION about it........so yes, I know who dies. No, I won't tell you. :-) I'm that nice. But anyway. Don't tell me anything about it. I'm incredibly jealous of all you lucky people who have read it! 

I'm feeling so awful that I didn't get this out quickly enough, that I'm just going to forget thank you's for this chapter. Know that I DID receive your reviews and compliments, and I DO appreciate them with all my heart and soul! Thank you, thank you, thank you! And also, think about what questions to ask and whether or not I should reveal the next story's title and possibly an excerpt. Just give me your opinions! The next and **FINAL** chapter will be out as soon as I finish editing it and writing thank you's to the reviews for this chapter. ;-) 

Love ya!!

T.H.


	20. The Unvanquished Truth

****

CHAPTER 20.

THE UNVANQUISHED TRUTH

Wind and rain greeted the Hogwarts Express as it pulled into the station. Harry stared out the window, eyeing the anxious parents who stood huddled together under the platform, each vainly attempting to catch a glimpse of their child. It was a sad sight to see those witches and wizards, their eyes frantically combing each window of the train as it pulled up beside them. Harry couldn't stand to look at them, and finally pulled himself away from the window and looked at the occupants of his car.

Ron and Hermione sat close together on the seat across from Harry. Hermione, who was sitting nearest to the window, peered sadly out of the window at the witches and wizards below them. Ron accompanied her in this action, his crisp blue eyes searching the crowds for his family. This would not have been unusual, had Hermione's hand not been grasped firmly in Ron's. Harry studied their hands a while as his friends continued to stare out the window. Ron's fingers were gripping Hermione's tightly, almost as if he felt the inner worry that just barely exuded from the girl's dark eyes. Harry could tell that Hermione was worried simply because he could read her emotions, but Ron....

Ron had never been able to tell before, or had he? It seemed to Harry that his friend had been more preoccupied with keeping Hermione off his back about his schoolwork rather than sensing her feelings. However, things had changed. Perhaps it was _Harry_ who hadn't been noticing the changes in his friends, which only made him feel guilty.

However, he was sure he'd have time to discuss those things with Ron over the summer. Harry was to return to the Burrow with the Weasleys directly from Kings Cross and stay there the entire summer. He was to tell the Dursleys of this change of events as soon as he reached the station. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had left Hogwarts castle almost as soon as Bill and Rhiannon left on their honeymoon. 

"Things to attend to at the Ministry, you understand." Mr. Weasley had murmured uncomfortably.

Ron and Harry _hadn't_ understood, but they decided to let the matter rest. Whatever Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were doing was none of their business. Had they wished to let them know, they would have, but that didn't keep the two boys from being curious.

Harry watched as Ron quickly released Hermione's hand as the train rolled to a stop. Silently, the three friends grasped their bags and headed towards the door, each buried in their own private thoughts. However, before he could exit, Harry stopped suddenly at the door to the car. 

"Where's Artemis? I haven't seen her since we got on the train."

"Yeah, me either." Ron concurred, frowning.

To Harry's surprise, Hermione blushed pink and eyed the ground.

"She said she and George were going to walk about the train."

Ron stared at Hermione as if she'd grown a second head.

"Walk, about, the _train_? Hermione, there's barely any room to swing a ruddy _cat_, let alone enough room to walk _about_!""

"Well, perhaps they were going to sit in another car then!" Hermione snapped shrilly. 

Ron's eyes widened.

"Sit in another......Hermione, where,"

"They wanted to be alone! Wanted to talk about some things." Hermione insisted sharply.

"Why couldn't they talk about them with US around?" Ron demanded.

"Because there's such a thing as _privacy_, Ron, which you MIGHT not have heard of."

"Oh, I've heard of it." Ron countered. "I'm wanting LOADS of it whenever I go home!"

"Well then, you should understand when George and Artemis want a little,"

Hermione suddenly ceased speaking. While Ron and Hermione were arguing, the trio had begun making their way towards the front of the train. As Hermione spoke in George and Artemis' defense, the three suddenly came face to face with the former. However, George and Artemis didn't see them. They were standing in a small alcove just between where the coaches connected. George was standing close to Artemis, staring down at her, unable to see or sense anything else around him. Artemis was whispering to him, her hands grasped almost desperately by George. Neither of them could see anything but the other, and Harry got the distinct feeling that neither wanted to.

As Ron gaped rudely, Hermione gave him an insistent shove towards the front of the train. When they reached that place, Ron turned around to eye Hermione, a scathing look hanging off his still surprised face. 

"Needed a place to _talk_, eh?" He spat.

"Oh, _shut_ up!" Hermione hissed, getting a better grip on Crookshanks' carrier as she stepped off the train.

Ron watched her go, an expression of frustration replacing his astonishment.

"_Girls_." He muttered. "They _always_ stick together."

Hermione, Ron and Harry stood in a small circle, each staring at the ground, occasionally eyeing each other. Harry wasn't sure all of what his friends were thinking, but he had an idea. So many things had happened since the beginning of the year, so many horrible things. Their world would never be the same again. The happy dreams were over and reality had set in. They would have to relearn ways of living in order to survive. 

Then the touching image of Artemis and George flashed through his mind. They would have to relearn ways of loving, for how could Artemis, a student of Durmstrang, be allowed to care for not only a student of Hogwarts, but a member of Gryffindor House as well? That was one thing that had carried over from dreaming to reality. Durmstrang students had love only for the Dark Arts and its secrets. If they married, it was for familial strength rather than love. Durmstrang students were not allowed to love. 

Then there was Ron and Hermione. If they truly loved each other, what would happen to them? They would be easily targeted because of their love. If one was captured, the other would go after them. Both could be easily killed because of that weakness. And then, if he and Ron became Aurors and were called to battle, what then? What if Ron was killed? What would become of Hermione if Ron was killed?

_One could ask Mr. and Mrs. Weasley the same question. Were they not married in the time of Voldemort's reign?_

Harry had not even thought of that aspect. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had survived more hard times than Harry or perhaps even Ron realized. They had survived, and their love had survived with them. Rather, perhaps it was their love that caused _them_ to survive. 

"Sorry for yellin', Hermione." Ron suddenly murmured, his face flushing pink.

Hermione looked him fully in the face and smiled.

"It's alright, Ron. Don't think on it."

Things had changed, most certainly, but Harry was positive that Ron and Hermione together, were stronger than if they were apart. He wasn't sure if he could say the same for Artemis and George. They still had Artemis' past to deal with and her powers, whatever they were. But Ron and Hermione, they would last.

Harry was suddenly broken out of his reverie as he caught sight of George and Artemis descending from the train. George took one last look at Artemis as she stepped towards Harry, Ron and Hermione. Artemis smiled and waved at George. A blissful smile passed quickly across George's face. It lingered there only a moment before he turned away from her and walked briskly towards his twin and Lee Jordan.

As Artemis approached them, Ron opened his mouth to say something, but closed it as Hermione elbowed him hard in the ribs. Harry had guessed that Ron was going to mention that he had seen Artemis and George in the train, but how Hermione knew, he could only guess. Perhaps it was the mischievous glint that had entered Ron's eye as he opened his mouth.

"Your parents here yet, Artemis?" Harry asked kindly.

Artemis frowned and scanned the platform. 

"Don't look to be. Always the epitome of promptness my parents are." She murmured, narrowing her eyes slightly. Then she relaxed and sighed, picking up a bag covered in glittering stars that bounced over and about each other on the navy colored fabric. "Can't believe this year's over. It was probably the best school year I've ever had." 

Hermione looked shocked. 

"You mean, even after you went to Durmstrang for four years? How can Hogwarts be better? You learned so much MORE in Durmstrang, surely!" She insisted.

Artemis chuckled and shrugged. 

"Well, Hermione, you must realize that in Durmstrang we learn quite a lot, but we only learn what the headmaster _wants _us to learn. We know enough about Dumbledore so that we could destroy him if possible. What we know about the Dark Arts, we know so we can use them effectively against an enemy. We know more about certain issues, certainly, but only a partial view. A Dark Wizard's point of view. We don't know the other side. In Hogwarts, I learned _both_ sides. True, your Defense Against the Dark Arts is lacking compared to our Dark Arts program, but it was interesting. I'd rather know both sides of an issue, rather than one." Artemis eyed them with a sad smile. "I'm positive that that makes no sense whatsoever, but that's alright. It doesn't have to. I'd rather you didn't, and _didn't_ ask questions." Artemis said jovially, but with a dark tone overshadowing her words as Hermione opened her mouth to speak.

"I was only going to ask if you would be coming back next year." Hermione replied, blushing, though Harry got the feeling that that wasn't what she was going to ask at all.

Artemis grinned broadly. 

"Of course I will! I'm going to ask my parents to send me back. You didn't think that I was going to get all settled in at Hogwarts and then not come back, did you?" 

Ron blushed scarlet. 

"Well," Ron murmured. "Let's just say we didn't _think_ you'd be back again." 

Artemis smiled good-naturedly and patted the Ron on the back. 

"Don't worry. I'll be back." Then her smile broadened and she threw out her arms and began to sing, much to Hermione, Ron and Harry's surprise. "Fare thee well, my own true love! Farewell for a while! I'm going away, but I'll be back, though I go ten thousand miles!" She chuckled as many of the children stepping off the train stared at her with wide, disapproving eyes. "Sorry, couldn't help myself. That's a Muggle song you know. Mum doesn't like it when I sing those. Actually, she doesn't like me listening to anything Muggle, period." She said seriously. 

Harry nodded and grinned. 

"Very appropriate, Artemis." He joked. 

Artemis grinned and punched him in the arm. Then she stopped and squinted in the distance. 

"Oh, wait a moment." As she eyed the brick wall of the station, her jovial appearance faded as quickly as it had appeared. 

Harry could barely see what had made Artemis' smile fade. He assumed it was the two people standing just outside the barrier between Platform 9 3/4 and the Muggle world. They were tall, imposing, and blonde. Harry could not tell what color their eyes were from his place, but they were dark and glinting. Both of the people, a man and a woman wore identical looks of disgust without remorse. 

Slowly, Artemis shouldered her bag and turned to smile faintly at Ron and Hermione. 

"There's my parents. See you next year. I really can't wait! Don't worry, Hermione. I'll keep up with my schoolwork." Artemis chided Hermione as she opened her mouth to speak. Then she turned on Harry and to his surprise, planted a swift kiss on his cheek. "You ever seen the Muggle movie "Star Wars"?" She asked quietly. 

Harry, still blushing from the unexpected kiss, shook his head, remembering that Dudley owned the popular Muggle film, but had never let Harry watch it. 

"It's one of the bloody best movies I'VE ever seen, even if it is Muggle. Mum doesn't like it that I go out and see Muggle movies, but oh well!" She said, nodding eagerly. "In it, the girl kisses the fellow for luck. Well, Harry, you're one fellow who I think needs _loads_ of luck." She said with a grin. 

Harry shook his head and returned her grin. 

"It was great to meet you, Artemis. Can't wait to see you next year." Harry said sincerely. 

Artemis nodded as she stepped off the platform. 

"Owl me sometimes, alright? I mean it! I expect LOADS of owls!!" She yelled as she rushed towards the two imposing figures that stood by the brick barrier between platforms nine and ten.

The three teenagers stood together silently, watching Artemis as she approached the two blonde figures and stood stiffly in front of them. The man looked as though he were admonishing the girl, his wife wearing a perpetual scowl as she looked down at Artemis. Finally, the two adults turned away from Artemis, walking briskly through the barrier, leaving the Durmstrang girl to walk behind them, her head hanging. 

"I certainly hope she doesn't endanger herself by wanting to come back to Hogwarts." Hermione said abruptly.

"Hermione, honestly." Ron protested. "They were probably just mad that she was bein' so loud. Some parents don't like it when their kids make a scene." 

"Ron, she wasn't making a _scene_! She was being a teenager! One of us! Remember?" Hermione snapped.

Ron's face flushed, but he held his ground.

"Hermione, in case you haven't noticed, Artemis is _not_ like us. She's not _one_ of us either. She's from Durmstrang. People from Durmstrang are _very_ different than us."

For once, Hermione was struck silent. She could come up with no good retort to combat Ron's firm grasp of facts. So, she dropped her head a bit and fumbled with the strap hanging from Crookshanks' carrier. Ron looked abashed and quickly stuck his hands in his pockets and stared at the ground. Eager to combat the sudden mood change, Harry spoke up,

"I'm really glad I'm going home with you, Ron." 

Ron sighed and shrugged.

"Oh, that'll wear off eventually. Soon you'll be one of the family and Mum will be punishing you by making you wash the dishes by hand when you do something wrong. _Just_ like one of the family." He said dismally. 

That gained a chuckle from Harry as well as Hermione, which caused Ron to smile just a bit, sensing forgiveness from his friend. Harry looked up as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley dashed through the barrier, breathing hard as they approached them.

"Sorry we're late! We had," 

"Business at the Ministry. I know, Dad." Ron said, cutting off Mr. Weasley mid-sentence. Mr. Weasley, however, was _not_ put off by Ron's interjection and instead smiled gratefully at him.

"Did you have a good year, dears? Well, for the most part?" Mrs. Weasley asked them, wincing as she realized how rather silly the question sounded. 

Before Ron, Harry and Hermione could answer, the unmistakable voices of Fred and George piped up. 

"Oh yeah, Mum!" Fred said enthusiastically, draping his arm around his mother's shoulder. 

"We were _going_ to blow up a Hogwarts toilet before we left, but we figured the place was falling apart already, so we didn't bother." George said with a nonchalant shrug, though his eyes twinkled merrily.

Mrs. Weasley didn't scold the twins, but simply smiled and kissed Fred on the cheek, then George when he shoved his face towards her insistently. Mrs. Weasley kissed him, then shooed him and Fred towards the barrier, calling to Ginny from her place of friends as she did so. Harry followed the Weasleys and Hermione through the barrier and into Kings Cross station.

"Hey, Mum, have you heard from Bill and Rhia yet?" Ron asked. 

"Actually yes. They reached Paris without trouble and they're going to stay there for a few more days before they go back to Egypt and get everything straightened out with Gringotts." Mrs. Weasley sighed happily. "Can't believe that Bill is _finally_ going to be moving close to home. It's a right good thing that he'll be working at the Gringotts in Diagon Alley. Then he'll be able to come and see us sometimes. Won't that be wonderful, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked her husband happily. 

"That it will, that it will." Mr. Weasley concurred. 

Hermione was suddenly stopped in her tracks as two cardigan clad adults threw themselves upon her. Harry turned to look as Hermione hugged her parents eagerly, but pushed them back slightly so as to breathe. After a long while, Hermione broke away from her parents after assuring them that she'd be back in a moment, though they didn't look quite convinced. Hermione walked briskly up to Harry and hugged him tightly.

"You take care of yourself, Harry. Don't do anything rash and stay with the Weasleys. You'll be safe that way. And if you get any instructions from Professor Dumbledore or Sirius, listen to them. And don't,"

"Alright, Hermione! Alright!" Harry laughed. "I understand. I'll be good. Though it'll be easier now that I'm with the Weasleys." 

Hermione smiled at him fondly and nodded.

"I know it will. See you next year."

"See you."

Hermione approached Ron and stood there a moment, eyeing him.

Ron blushed pink and raised his hand to rub the back of his neck uneasily.

"Take care of him, Ron. Don't do something stupid that would risk BOTH your necks." Hermione instructed.

"Right, right. Nothing stupid." Ron mumbled.

Hermione eyed him a moment more, then spoke quietly,

"Well then, I'll see you next year."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Well, see you."

"See you."

Ron raised his eyes as Hermione began to walk away from him.

"Hey, Hermione!"

Hermione turned about abruptly as Ron called her name. Harry gaped at the change that had taken place in the few seconds that Ron had called out to Hermione. In that moment, he had taken his hand off his neck and had run up to Hermione and was now staring down at her uneasily, as if unsure of something.

"Yes, Ron?" She asked.

A moment later, Harry had to rub his eyes vigorously as he took in the sight before him. Ron was _kissing_ Hermione. What was even more surprising was that Hermione instantly relaxed into the kiss. She draped her arms around Ron's shoulders as one hand reached up to touch his neck. Ron's hands drifted to her waist and he held her there, eyes closed, a smile tugging at his lips even as he kissed her.

Harry glanced over at the Weasleys. Mrs. Weasley's mouth was open in surprise, but it was happy surprise. A moment later, her hand fluttered to rest over her heart and she smiled broadly. Fred and George, who had been pulling Ginny's fiery red hair, stopped dead in their tracks. Their mouths hung open in identical shock, fingers still grasping Ginny's strands of vibrant hair. Ginny's eyes were wide, one clenched fist just inches away from Fred's face.

Slowly, Ron released Hermione, his hands slipping off her hips. His face was bright red, but that persistant smile continued to tug at his lips. Hermione, bright red as well, noticed the smile, but didn't chide him. Instead, she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him tenderly on his flaming cheek.

"See you next year." She whispered, smiling at him before walking away with her questioning parents.

Ron stood still with a lopsided grin resting on his lips as he stared after Hermione. When he turned to face his family, he looked right past them, shouldered his bag and began to walk towards the exit of Kings Cross. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stepped aside as Ron shuffled blindly past them, but he didn't get past his brothers. As he passed, Fred said,

"Well, _Ronniekins_, didn't know you were so _fond_ of kissing."

"Hot lips." George whispered.

Ron quickly snapped out of his reverie and glared at his brother.

"Well, _you_ should talk Mr. I'm-Going-To-Go-_Walk_-About-the-_Train_." Ron hissed.

George took a step backwards, his face paling as his mother eyed him suspiciously.

"I daresay, Harry. Isn't that your aunt and uncle?" Mr. Weasley asked suddenly.

The Weasleys stopped walking abruptly, scanning the crowds. The Dursleys were eyeing Harry as he walked closely with the wizarding family. Eyeing him _nervously_ was more accurate. Last time Harry's relatives saw the Weasleys, Fred and George had given Dudley a Ton-Tongue Toffee, making his tongue grow at least four feet. The remembrance of this event was most likely why Mrs. Weasley turned on the twins and hissed, 

"Don't you even _THINK_ of going near those Muggles! Don't even THINK it!" 

The mischievous light that had arisen in the twins' eyes faded slightly as they gazed at each other, then their mother sadly. Mrs. Weasley ignored their saddened look, instead, nodding in satisfaction. 

"What do you think they'll say about you not going home?" Ron whispered as they walked towards them. Harry raised his chin stubbornly. 

"They'll probably wonder why I didn't go sooner." He whispered back.

Uncle Vernon eyed Harry nervously, anger growing in his eyes as he continued to stare at his nephew. Aunt Petunia grasped Dudley's fat shoulders to her, even as he tried to hide himself behind her. As he attempted to do this, his fat face grew red and his eyes widened as he saw Fred and George leering evilly at him. 

"What do you think you're doing, boy? It's time to go." Uncle Vernon protested, eyeing the Weasleys with a look of malice. 

Harry stepped towards them, staring his aunt and uncle straight in the face. 

"Sorry. I'm going home with my friends this summer. I've already got my things, so I don't need to go back to the house. Have a nice summer." He said smoothly. 

Then he turned on his heel and strode away, smiling as Fred and George howled loudly. Over the sound of Hedwig's satisfied hoot, he heard Vernon mutter in frustration, 

"Of all the _cheek_! That _boy_ and his abnormality," 

Harry couldn't help but grin at that. In Uncle Vernon's eyes, and perhaps in his own eyes, his powers were an abnormality, but if so, he was glad to have it. He'd rather have that abnormality than never have known Hermione, Ron, the Weasleys, Dumbledore or Sirius. His gift was his curse, and the other way round. There were times he regretted it, and at times, he was relieved he had it. He wouldn't be himself without it. He wouldn't be Harry Potter.

"And that's the truth. The unvanquished truth, Uncle Vernon. The unvanquished truth." 

Even as he spoke, Harry Potter stepped into the Muggle world, but at the same time, remained in the world he loved, the world he fit into: the wizarding world.

__

************************************************************************

****

__

Author's Note: Hello all! I'm so sorry it took so long for me to update! My computer has MASSIVE issues. I've been thinking of getting it a therapist. ;-) So this is the last chapter. *sniffle* I'm REALLY sad actually. Really, REALLY sad. I'm gonna miss hearing from all of you, but I'll be around and I'll be writing little one shots here and there, so no worries there. But I will miss writing this story. Okay, I've gotta stop. I'm making myself even more sad than I already am. I'm gonna have a separate chapter just for thank you's and notes. I've also been thinking about releasing the title of the sequel just to start you guys guessing. I don't know though. Give me your opinions. I don't wanna release TOO much. Also, start thinking of questions to ask me about this story if you even have any, then post them in your review. I'm pretty sure you guys might have a FEW questions, so I figured I'd try to answer them in the thank you chapter. And if you don't have questions, cool.....sorta....not really.....I haven't done my job well. ;-) Any questions you've got, I'll try to answer them without giving away too much. ;-) So anyway, just wanted to let you know about that. Well, I'll thank you all in the next chapter, so I hope you all enjoyed this one! You have no idea how much I appreciate you all! Luv you all!!

T.H.


End file.
